Staff speaking to media

Media relations policy 

 Student Affairs offices and programs frequently receive media inquiries for information. These requests can provide an opportunity to highlight a program’s positive impact and offer additional exposure, but questions can sometimes be misdirected, complex, or require a coordinated approach. When media requests come in, we want to be able to respond accurately, in a timely manner, with the appropriate notice to internal stakeholders, and minimal disruption to staff members for fielding inquiries.   

This policy: 

• Applies to Student Affairs offices and programs within Student Success & Belonging and Student Advocacy. 

• Applies to staff interviewing and fielding media requests within the context of their staff position. 

• Covers all professional and student media outlets (TV, radio, newspaper, digital, etc.) as well as class assignments that are likely to be broadcast or published. 

• Does not apply to class assignments that will not be published in any amateur or professional publication. (If this is the case, staff members are asked to get confirmation in writing that no part of the interview will be made publicly available.) 

When contacted by the media or a student journalist in a non-emergency/crisis: 

• Forward the request to the following first points of contact, including any relevant background information and your availability to respond or interview (as applicable). Please call or text if the issue is urgent (i.e., requires attention within the hour) or sensitive in nature.  

• • Darcy Wittberger, Associate Director of Communications, Student Affairs, darcy.wittberger@wisc.edu 

• • Jenny Bernhardt, Director of Communications and Advancement, Office of the VCSA, jenny.bernhardt@wisc.edu, (608) 265-4033 (office)

• • Gillian Drummond, Director of Public Affairs, Office of Strategic Communication, gldrummond@wisc.edu 

• • John Lucas, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Public Affairs and Institutional Communications, Office of Strategic Communication, jplucas@wisc.edu 

• Jenny, Darcy, and/or Gillian will provide background information as needed and facilitate the right contact for each request. They will work with staff within Student Affairs or across campus to provide the appropriate level of response to questions or to set up an interview. This will allow us to track media inquiries, refer questions to the appropriate office/staff, and establish a communications point-of-contact.  

In an emergency or crisis situation (such as a student death, high-impact bias incident, unanticipated protest, or other campus crisis): 

• Notify your associate vice chancellor and associate dean or director by cellphone or other immediate means.  

• Contact the four communicators listed above with the following information: what happened; when and where it occurred; who is/was involved; and who is/are the point(s)-of-contact. Reach out by phone or text if the situation is urgent or the topic is sensitive. 

• To report an emergency incident that occurs outside of business hours, contact the Office of Strategic Communication on-call staff 24/7 at (608) 206-0310.