Equality Texas Proposal 

Hannah Uselman
Hmu2-04437544
MC 4313.006 Writing for Public Relations

Fall 2018 / Wilson

School of Journalism and Mass Communication

Texas State University

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Table of Contents
Executive Summary…………………………………………………….3
Situational Analysis…………………………………………………….4
Opportunity……………………………………………………………..5
Target Audience………………………………………………………...6
Opinion Leaders and Influencers……………………………………….7
Primary Research……………………………………………………….8
Secondary Research……………………………………………………..9
Theme…………………………………………………………...11
Key Messages……………………………………………………….12
Communication channels……………………………………..12
Goal………………………………………………………………13
Objective 1…………………………………………………………...13
Strategy………………………………………………………………..13
Tactics………………………………………………………………….13
Budget………………………………………………………………….13
Staff…………………………………………………………..14
Objective 2………………………………………………………….14
Strategy 2……………………………………………………………..15
Timeline……………………………………………………………..16

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Executive Summary

For the past 30 years Equality Texas has fought for LGBTQ issues in the Texas Senate. As a
representative of this company and also a supporter I will say that our only goal is to improve the
lives of those in this community and provide support for the youth of our communities through
education.

Texas youth receives little education when it comes to sexual health. That being said, more
college students are being diagnosed with HIV and other STDs. In recent research scientist have
found a correlation between these two facts. Equality Texas hopes to promote sexual health and
well-being through a week long campaign at Texas State University.

Equality Texas will partner with the S.H.A.R.E program at the university. This organization is
committed to educating young people about sexual health and the consequences of using alcohol
in excess. It is understood that college is a time for students to experiment with sexuality as well
as substances. The goal of this partnership is to educate students to experience college with their
sexual health in mind. You can have fun and be safe.

This will be a week long grassroots campaign right in the middle of the Texas State Quad. This
area of campus is an extremely popular passing zone for students and houses booths throughout

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the year. Equality Texas will be providing games based on sexual education and will be
encouraging students to partake in our FREE sexual health screenings.

Through this campaign Equality Texas and the Share Program will be providing students with
invaluable information to help break the stigma surrounding sexual illness. Equality Texas will
also be collecting important information for our research team through a survey. This critical
information will help the organization plan for future campaigns.

The final project presented herein as part of the Writing for Public Relations Mass Comm 4313
course will not be implemented in a real and practical setting, therefore the Evaluation phase is
not included. The Evaluation is recognized as a vital part of the RPIE process in Public
Relations.

Situational Analysis

Equality Texas is an organization that is committed to equality for all LGBTQ citizens and their
families. Equality Texas began their fight for equality in 1982 when the Lesbian/Gay rights
Advocates was created- which later became what we know now as Equality Texas. Since then
they have fought for issues affecting the LGBTQ community such as restrictions on adoption for
gay and lesbian couples, and pressed for adoption of HIV grant programs and HIV services
funding.
Visit Equality Texas on the web to view their ​mission statement​.

Which brings us to the opportunity at hand at Texas State University. HIV is still a highly
stigmatized issue in our society and can be a reality for those who least expect it. Equality Texas
wants to end the stigma around sexual illness and educate those who need it most. Based on our
primary research presented in this proposal we have come to the following conclusions. In Texas
schools and all around the country the only sexual education given is rooted in abstinence. This
has been reported to cause a rise in teen pregnancies and facilitates the spreading of sexual
diseases. Our youth has the fundamental human right to sexual education and sexual health
screenings. Bibliographies are provided in the reference page for all of our research sources.

● 53 percent of new cases are from male-to-male sexual contact.

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● 31 percent of new cases of HIV are transmitted through heterosexual sexual
activity.
● In 2007, almost 7,000 new cases were diagnosed in people younger than 24.

Opportunity

Equality Texas will sponsor and participate in a week long event at Texas State with two
objectives- education and free testing for all students.

There is an opportunity to partner with the share program at Texas state university. The Share
Program “​seeks to help young adults avoid the health risks associated with dangerous drinking
and substance abuse”.

This will also be a good opportunity to survey Texas State students who participate in our
campaign. Through this we will receive valuable information regarding students and sexual
health.

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Target Audience

Race/Ethnicity: Texas State is a large diverse campus filled with students of all races and
ethnicities. We want to be broad is regards to these characteristics so that we may include all
students.

Age: 17-25

Check the infographic below taken from the ​Texas State Demographics ​page. Minority
populations at Texas State are steadily increasing. It is also interesting to note that the female
population has also been on a steady increase.

Opinion Leaders and Influencers

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Equality Texas will team up with a large opinion leader on campus, the S.H.A.R.E Program.
This group is all about health and safety when it comes to students sexual health. Their mission
follows -

“SHARE is a peer-to-peer health risk prevention program seeking to reduce negative

health outcomes associated with dangerous drinking and substance abuse among members of
at-risk groups including veterans, Latinos, and LGBTQIA students at Texas State.. Since 2013,
Dr. Melinda Villagran has been funded by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration to work with community and campus partners to deliver evidence-based
interventions and research to reduce the incidence of alcohol and substance abuse leading to
sexual health risk behaviors.”

This organization aligns with the values and mission of Equality Texas. A perfect partnership it
will be- the hope is to help S.H.A.R.E market themselves to the student population in a more
innovative way through social media channels and a week long grass root campaign in the Quad.
Also it is important to tap into S.H.A.R.E’s supporters in the San Marcos area in order to spread
the voice of Equality Texas. This will also increase followers on facebook and instagram for both
organizations. On the Quad the organizations will also collect useful information from students
through surveys after being tested. This information will help Equality Texas with future
campaigns based on our findings.

Primary Research

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References

Dennison, O., Wu, Q., & Ickes, M. (2014). Prevalence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus
Testing and
Associated Risk Factors in College Students. ​Journal of American College Health​, ​62​(5),
309–318. Retrieved from
http://libproxy.txstate.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.libproxy.txstate.edu/logi
n.asp
X?direct=true&db=s3h&AN=96140568&site=eds-live&scope=site

This study produced by the University of Kentucky focuses on the rates of HIV testing among
college students. The students involved in the study were all sexually active. Only 36.2 % were
reported to have been tested for HIV. In addition “unsafe sexual behaviors” were associated with
lower testing rates.

“Findings support the need for targeted​ ​HIV interventions on college campuses. Such
interventions need to be tailored for at-risk students and take into consideration factors likely to
contribute to HIV testing​”

MILLIGAN, Caitlin, C. Nicholas CUNEO, Sarah E RUTSTEIN, and Charles HICKS. 2014.
“Know Your
Status: Results from a Novel, Student-Run Hiv Testing Initiative on College Campuses.”
AIDS
Education and Prevention​, no. 4: 317. Retrieved from:
http://libproxy.txstate.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.libproxy.txstate.edu/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=edsfra&AN=edsfra.28725041&site=eds-live&scope=site​.

Know Your Status is a student run program that offers free HIV testing at a private university
and community college. Students were provided with rapid, oral HIV-testing. The study
investigated testing history, risky behaviors, and HIV prevalence among students tested during
the first three years of KYS.In total 1408 testes were administered and 5 were positive.

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“Three positives were new diagnoses, all black men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM). Over 50%
of students were tested for the first time and 59% reported risk behaviors.”

KYS successfully recruited large numbers of previously untested, at-risk students, highlighting
the feasibility and importance of college populations.

Kort, D. N., Samsa, G. P., & Mckellar, M. S. (2017). Sexual orientation differences in HIV
testing motivation among college men. ​Journal of American College Health,​ ​65​(3),
223-227. doi:10.1080/07448481.2016.1277429 Retrieved from:
http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.libproxy.txstate.edu/eds/detail/detail?vid=13&sid=fb75cadf-7
420-45b4-9356-06a3c33382ea%40sessionmgr120&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU
mc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=121774629&db=s3

Objective: To investigate sexual orientation differences in college men's motivations for HIV
testing.

Participants: 665 male college students in the Southeastern United States from 2006 to
2014.Methods: Students completed a survey on HIV risk factors and testing motivations.
Logistic regressions were conducted to determine the differences between heterosexual men
(HM) and sexual minority men (SMM).Results:SMM were more motivated to get tested by
concern over past condomless sex, while HM were more often cited supporting the testing
program “on principle” and wanting a free ​t​-shirt. SMM and HM differed in behaviors that
impact HIV risk and other demographics. However, differences in testing motivation by concern
over past condomless sex or wanting a free ​t​-shirt persisted when controlling for these
demographic and behavioral differences.Conclusions: Appropriately designed HIV prevention
interventions on college campuses should target SMM's distinct concern over past condomless
sex as a testing motivation.

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Secondary Research

For the past two weeks our organization has been collecting survey responses from students.
This survey was a total of 10 questions and was created on SurveyMonkey.com. All responses
were organic and non-paid. From this survey we can conclude that Texas State students will
benefit from education and free HIV testing. Our hope was to understand the demographics on
the campus as well as the level of sexual safety and education.

Here are our findings, these facts have guided our team through the strategic planning process.

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THEME

Equality Texas wants to spread their mission to students through sexual education and free
sexual health screening on Texas State University campus.

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KEY MESSAGES

● Promotion of sexual health.

● Reduce the stigma surrounding HIV and other STDs.

● Test and diagnose students.

● Prepare and support students who are diagnosed.

COMMUNICATION CHANNELS

● Online: Unique Campaigns for Instagram and Facebook with “boosting budget”
● Non-media: Flyer and Posters will be posted throughout campus in strategic common
areas.
● Traditional: Press releases will be sent to the University Star, KTSW and other local
media outlets.

GOAL

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To educate and provide sexual health screenings for all Texas State University Students.

Objective 1

To educate at least 300 students about sexual health by November 1, 2018.

Strategy

Equality Texas will work to create a fun and positive atmosphere that draws students into our
sexual education and free testing program.

Tactics

● Large presence on the Quad during peak hours

● Games, prizes and performances
● Positive and open environment for all students regardless of background.
● Partner with the Share Program on TXST campus.
● Promote Multimedia on Social Media
● Send out Press release to University Star/KTSW

Budget

$15,000

Staff

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● Equality Texas Staff and Interns.
● S.H.A.R.E volunteers
● Texas State Students
● Videographer
● Set up
● Takedown
● Copywriter
● Sexual Health Counselors

Objective 2

Test at least 300 students at Texas State University by November, 1 2018.

Strategy

Creating a positive and professional environment at the “Know Your Status” event is key to this
projects success. Testing will also be free and take away burden from students who wish to be
tested but cannot afford it.

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Tactics

● Heavy social media promotion- “This is FREE testing!” on Facebook, Instagram and
Twitter
● Target Students in the area on Social Media
● Provide anonymous and private testing for all students.
● Provide counseling and resources for positive results.
● Partner with University Star for promotion
● Develop Media kit with a promotional video, posters,flyers, blog posts and press releases.
● Pop-up, Anonymous Testing Center

We will heavily promote that this is 100% FREE testing for students. This will be promoted on
social media and advertised throughout the university during the campaign, including places like
the University Star newspaper and KTSW radio station.

Budget

35,000

Staff

● Equality Texas Staff and Interns.

● S.H.A.R.E volunteers
● Texas State Students

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● Videographer
● Set up
● Takedown
● Copywriter
● Sexual Health Counselors

TIMELINE

August

● Conduct primary research about students, HIV

● Research influencers in San Marcos/Texas State
● Create a survey for campaign.
● Contact the Share Program for Partnership
● Write potential press releases

September

● Create Survey
● Create flyers, posters and multimedia
● Provide KTSW and University Star with media kit for campaign.
● Send out press releases announcing the event.

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● Hire Staff

October

● Rent pop-up shelter

● Check back with University Star/KTSW
● Send final press releases
● Start posting on social media 10/13
● Create games/props (Capitalize on Halloween themes)
● Host event at the end of October

 
 
 
 

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