Summer 2010 NCAA begins investigation into UNC-CH football program June 2011 UNC-CH received allegations from NCAA July 2011 UNC-CH fired head coach Butch Davis

Should a university incorporate students as a part of its target audience in its public relations crisis plan following an athletic scandal?

1. Identify most effective PR tactic for such athletic scandals 2. May help make examples of previous universities’ mistakes 3. Provide recommendations to universities in the event of future athletic scandals

Online survey Social Media, Listservs Variety of people & organizations Time constraint Distributed for 7 days

Two main types of questions 1.Questions to measure attitude 2.Demographic questions

Reach within UNC Variety of respondents - 24 majors - In &out of state Not random sample Survey not in a structured environment

 10 question Qualtrics survey on students’ knowledge on the athletic scandal  Used a variety of question types to asses student’s knowledge and position on the issue › Seven-point Likert scale › Nominal Scales of Measurement, “check all that apply”

 Yes / No questions to asses if scandal affected school pride  Open Ended Question “I think a direct from the chancellor or athletic department would have been more beneficial because there was a lot of false reports and rumors going around. These rumors could have been lessened if the issue was directly addressed to the student population instead on kept under wraps.”

 UNC – CH did not have a clear voice in the situation nor addressed the scandal in a timely manner  Data illustrated that media outlets did cover the story, but not enough to make students feel “informed”

Percentage of students who feel scandal will not effect their future donations to the University Percentage of students who feel scandal does not damage their school pride 95% 85%

“It was very unclear what was happening at times. It was quite a circus at first.” -Survey Respondent “It was very unclear what was happening at times. It was quite a circus at first.” -Survey Respondent

 35% of respondents ranked students as the number one priority  31% ranked donors as the top priority  Respondents consistently ranked the community and alumni last Most respondents agreed that students and/or donors should be notified first, followed closely by the faculty

 Most respondents indicated that the scandal did NOT negatively impact their attitude toward UNC, UNC Academics and UNC Leadership  Several said the scandal made them feel more negatively towards UNC athletics and the football team

 Avoid mixed messages  Stick to one to two main messages  Communicate in a timely manner  Ensuring accurate information Clear and concise distribution of information

 Address needs and concerns  Students: › Vocal › Connected › Students eventually become alumni Target students during an athletic scandal

 Using past scandals to develop a plan  Involvement of the athletic department Developing pre-designed plans to handle future crises

Students are an important part of the university Universities should consider students in PR plans Should not just include students, students should be a main target

Students are an important part of the university Universities should consider students in PR plans Should not just include students, students should be a main target