Spring Break

... begins one week from today! It's exciting, but for some the thought of adorning a bikini right now is enough to wish for winter's return. While it may be tempting to crash diet-- don't! Why? Read my article on the alluring-metabolism ruiners here. Find more helpful mental, physical and nutritional diet tips at unc.edu/twbmag. It's UNC's premiere fitness magazine, and I'm proud to call myself a staff member.

The Best One Night Stand of Your Life

This weekend I had the privilege to participate in UNC Dance Marathon-- a fund raiser for North Carolina Children's Hospitals. For 24 hours 1,600 "dancers" stand on their feet to show their support and raise money for families who can't afford to support their children's medical expenses. I was a moraler, meaning that I came for an 8 hour shift to cheer up the dancers, dance around and remind them of what an incredible gift they're giving to those in need! I chose the midnight to 8 am shift because I felt it would be the time they needed it most, and it was honestly one of my best college experiences so far. We dressed like characters from Harry Potter (I went as Hedwig.. see picture below) and danced for 8 hours straight with a small break to go outside and watch the sun rise. It's 24 hours of non-stop entertainment, fun and doing something great for the community. At the end of the marathon they announced that they raised ‎$436,709.61! That's the most they've ever raised, and I'm so happy I got to be a part of it! Take a look at some of the highlights of past events; I encourage anyone to get involved! It really will be the best one night stand of your life.

The Power of a PSA

"Service is the rent we pay to be living. It is the very purpose of life and not something you do in your spare time." -Marian Wright Edelman

I'm taking JOMC 137: Fundamentals of Advertising and Public Relations right now, and other than the fact that it's at 9 am, I'm really enjoying it. We're in the public relations portion right now, and today we learned about non-profit public relations. I've always been inspired by non-profit work and the people who dedicate their lives to it, but Marian Wright Edelman founder of Children's Defense Fund was especially awe-inspiring today. You can get a brief overview of her work at the Children Defense Fund here. Perhaps the most effective way to affect one's desired publics with a message is through a public service announcement or PSA. Public service announcements can take a variety of approaches: ethos, pathos, logos, or shock PSAs. (ahh vocab-- takes me back to my high school English class days.)

Here are some examples of each that I find incredibly moving:

PATHOS:

My favorite and perhaps the most effective: a play on emotions. My high school English teacher used to call it 'advertising that relies heavily on babies or puppies,' but really it's so much more than that. The ability to emotionally connect with an audience is a powerful one, and if used properly can have lasting results. This one is from the Children's Defense Fund, as mentioned above. Clearly, this really had a lasting impact on me:

ETHOS:

Ethos demonstrates a reliance on the ethics of something. Ex. "Will you sit back and let these children starve?" PSA's that rely heavily on ethos make it seem unethical to NOT participate and help the desired project. Here's an example about the genocide in Darfur:

LOGOS:

Logos involves persuasion that relies heavily on logic and a presentation of facts. It's usually paired with ethos and pathos to make a more-rounded, dynamic argument. Here's an example of one that CBS news did about texting and driving:

SHOCK PSAs:

Shock PSA's use theatrics to really make a message hit home with it's audience. See what a difference it makes when texting while driving is presented this way:

Keep in mind that most aren't solely just one of the three. A good PSA is a combination of each so that it can reach a broader audience!