WT Bateman Team Earns National Distinction for Lymphoma Campaign

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Contact: Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — West Texas A&M University’s Bateman Team earned an honorable mention from the Public Relations Student Society of America for a month-long public relations campaign educating young people about lymphoma.

Out of 51 entries, 11 received honorable mention.

The Bateman Case Study Competition is PRSSA’s national annual case study competition for public relations students. Each year, students get the opportunity to implement a full public relations campaign for a different client.

This year, the client was the Lymphoma Research Foundation. Participants were tasked with educating their communities about adolescent and young adult lymphoma, as lymphoma is the most common blood cancer diagnosis for young adults.

The team used a combination of digital and in-person outreach to spread awareness of AYA lymphoma in the Canyon/Amarillo area, including conducting video interviews with young adults in the community battling this disease, talking to WT students in the Jack B. Kelley Student Center and volunteering at a local blood drive.

The team of four included Kiley Duggan, a sophomore public relations and advertising major from Canyon; Karree Belmares, a junior digital communication and media major from Turkey; Lindsey Sawin, a junior agricultural media and communication major from Vernon; and Hannah Valencia, a senior strategic communication major from Santa Rosa, California.

“We were fortunate to get the opportunity to interview a couple young adults in the community battling blood cancer,” Valencia said. “That human element of seeing how lymphoma has affected their lives really brought the issue to life for me.”

“The most important thing I learned while being a part of this campaign was to treat these adolescent young adults that we met while conducting this case study the same as any young person their age. It’s out of respect, because they’re still who they were before being diagnosed with Lymphoma, and it seems that people often forget that,” Belmares said.

“Being a member of the Bateman team was a fantastic experience. I was able to learn
new skills related to the PR industry and use the skills I already possessed to create a
successful campaign and report alongside my teammates,” Sawin said.

“This team was so understanding of the lymphoma patients they met and the need for more education,” said Kim Bruce, team adviser and associate lecturer of media communication. “Because their PR campaign is executed in our local community it always has distinct benefits and serves as an ideal learning experience, but this honor is well earned and signifies their effort was outstanding.”

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the WT Bateman Team’s existence. The 2019 team also earned honorable mention for their campaign.

Photo: Bateman Team members include Karree Belmares, from left, Hannah Valencia, Kiley Duggan and Lindsey Sawin.

About the WT Department of Communication

The WT Department of Communication houses two undergraduate programs: Communication Studies and Media Communication, with three areas of emphasis in each program as well as the option to seek teacher certification in speech or journalism. The master’s program offers two areas of emphasis: one in Communication and one in Media Management. Both can be completed online. For more information on the department, visit wtamu.edu/academics/college-fine-arts-humanities/department-communication/index.html. 

About West Texas A&M University

WT is located in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of about 10,000 and offers 59 undergraduate degree programs and more than 40 graduate degrees, including two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

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