Crystal Brown

Chief Communication Officer

Office of University Relations
301-405-4618
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: DEC. 11, 2015

CONTACT:
Kayla Schorr
PR Representative
609-519-7237
kaylajschorr@gmail.com

SEO: UMD increases diversity enrollment

University diversity grows significantly
Diversity at UMD grows 8.7 percent with new academic year
COLLEGE PARK, Md.- Minority enrollment at the University of Maryland has increased
by 8.7 percent this fall, according to data released by the Office of University Relations.
In the last year, the school has grown from a minority enrollment of 1,747 to 1,899
students.

UMD Diversity Increase

Number of
Students

2014
Column1

Race

The university begins to value diversity this year more than ever.
Graphic by Kayla Schorr
The university has taken a significant step forward, university President
Wallace D. Loh said. The increase in minority students is a gratifying sight for the
many students, faculty and administrators who have worked for it.
For more information regarding the universitys diversity, visit the Office of
University Relations website at www.urhome.umd.edu.
###
TO: Mr. Matt Schnabel diamondbackeditor@gmail.com
SUBJECT: University diversity rises 8.7 percent
A recent survey by the Office of University Relations found that minority enrollment at
the University increased 8.7 percent this fall. Now, over seven percent of our student
body is diverse.
In your story, I recommend using the following graphic to visually represent the spurt in
diversity rates from 2014 to 2015:

I also recommend the following:

Interview President Wallace Loh about diversity on campus
o Email: president@umd.edu
o Phone: 301-405-5803
Interview current students about their feelings on the matter
Include the diversity statistics from five years ago
For more information, visit www.urhome.umd.edu. I have pasted a news release below
for your convenience.

Sincerely,
Kayla Schorr
PR Representative
609-519-7237
kaylajschorr@gmail.com
###
[PASTED NEWS RELEASE]
-30-

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NOV. 21, 2015

Crystal Brown
Chief Communication Officer
Office of University Relations
301-405-4618
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
CONTACT:
Kayla Schorr
PR Representative
609-519-7237
kaylajschorr@gmail.com

SEO: University professor Hanson releases book

Professor Hanson releases book about American testing
Anthropology professor discusses American societys addiction to tests
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - A young kindergartener wakes up late for school one morning.
His mother rushes him into the car, since she is late for work. He sinks tiredly into his car
seat as his stomach grumbles from not eating breakfast. He gets to school with just a
minute to spare, only to realize that today is aptitude testing day. He knows that if he does
well, he gets to upgrade to a special class, but if he does not, he must be held back from
the opportunity.
University anthropology professor F. Alan Hanson recently wrote a book entitled,
Testing Testing: Social Consequences of the Examined Life. In his work, Hanson
uncovers the disadvantages of testing across many fields, such as business and education.

He recommends eliminating most drug tests, aptitude tests, and lie detector and integrity
tests.
Hanson argues that IQ and aptitude test scores can end up being life sentences.
Children take these tests that instantly assign them to a category: slow learner, average,
genius, etc. If a child performs unexpectedly out-of-the-ordinary, this could affect the
entire rest of his or her life.
(more)

K. Schorr, W/R #14, TA #2, News Feature Release, p.2

People are examined and evaluated less for qualifications or knowledge they
already possess than for what the test results can predict about future actions or potential
behavior, Hanson said.
How to proceed
Hanson believes that test-givers should eliminate much of the testing used to
predict behavior and attitudes. He says that across the country, some college admissions
offices no longer require scores from aptitude tests such as the ACT, SAT or GMAT as an
application requirement. Although he does not support aptitude tests for students, Hanson
sees merit in tests that measure performance, such as what a student has learned in class.
In addition to scrutinizing aptitude tests, Hanson also rejects the use of integrity
and drugs tests. He believe integrity tests frequently warrant incorrect results, while drug
tests are often unnecessary, unless someone suspects a persons drug abuse.
Hansons book is available at local bookstores or by contacting Denise Cicourel at
UC Press, 2120 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, CA 94720.

For more information, visit the www.ucpress.edu or follow UC Press on

Twitter at @UCPress.

###

TO: Mr. Matt Schnabel diamondbackeditor@gmail.com

SUBJECT: Professor Hanson releases book about American testing
University anthropology professor Alan Hanson recently wrote a book entitled, Testing
Testing: Social Consequences of the Examined Life, which criticizes the American
addiction to a variety of tests. He says that testing can often set students up for an
unnecessary life sentence if they perform poorly.
Hanson argues for the elimination of the following tests:
Drug
Aptitude
Lie detector
Integrity
For this story, I recommend implementing an action shot of Hanson signing his new book
in a recognizable UMD landmark, such as The Stamp or McKeldin Library. You can also
refer to companies who administer the tests Hanson criticizes, such as College Board
(aptitude tests) and select police forces (integrity tests).
I can also offer an excerpt of Hansens book for you to gain a fuller understanding of his
arguments.
For more information about the book, contact the publisher Denise Cicourel. You can
reach her at UC Press, 2120 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, CA 94720, for a copy of the book
and more information about sales.
I have pasted a feature release below for your convenience.
###

[PASTED FEATURE RELEASE]

-30-

News and Feature Releases Synopsis

Type of story
These stories is about the diversity increase the university and a new book
written by a university professor about the faults in the American testing culture.
o Key story elements include custom graphs, the University of Maryland
emblem, contact information for the sender and the recipient of the
releases, and subheads.
o Techniques include brevity, pasting releases into pitches to ensure
viewership and personalizing pitches to a specific recipient.
Focus/theme of story
These stories are intended to inform someone specific about a potential news or
feature story. The releases and pitches are supposed to sway an editor to publish
specific content in their news source.
News values
Impact
o The story about diversity has impact because the information affects a
society as a whole. With more diverse students, the university can become
a more welcoming and inclusive environment.
Entertainment
o The story about Hansens book would entertain readers because it
advertise an interesting book.
Target audiences
Editors of local publications
o These stories would be directly submitted to editors of local publications
in the possibility that they would be published. Once the stories are
published, they will appeal to the entire College Park community.

News and Feature Releases 5 Cs

Compare

Word count
SEO character
count
Words per
sentence
Sentences per
paragraph
Passive voice
Grade level
Cut

News release
original

News release
rewrite

Feature
release rewrite

95
34

Feature
release
original
356
30

85
34
17.0

19.0

18.7

18.7

1.7

1.7

2.4

2.4

0%
12

0%
12

0%
11.5

0%
11.5

I did not cut any content from my news or feature releases.

Contribute
I added a release date to my news release
I added specific numbers regarding diversity statistics
I added a narrative caption to the custom graph in my news release
I added President Lohs contact information in the news release pitch
I added university the headline of my feature release
I added the letter F. as part of the professors name in my feature release
I added a subhead in my feature release to break up some of the content
Clean up

370
34

I changed the word manner to matter in my news release pitch

Collaborate
My peer Yara Jouzy aided me in finding the contact information for the university
relations office
Professor Toth recommended that I make my graphic captions more narrative
My TA, Adalie, said that I should use more specific language when referring to
statistics
Professor Toth advised that I add as many methods of contact as possible when
referring to sources for a story