EWU 201-03: External Communications
University Operations – Administrative
| EWU Policy 201-03 | Authority: EWU Board of Trustees |
| Effective: December 3, 2013 | Proponent: Director of Marketing & Communications |
Purpose: This policy prescribes standards and guidelines related to external communications of the University.
History: This policy revises and supersedes UGS 280-020-020, News Services and UGS 280-060-020, Marketing, Publications and Printing. It was adopted by the EWU Board of Trustees (BOT) on Dec 3, 2013.
Applicability: This policy applies to all employees of Eastern Washington University.
1. General
The purpose of this policy is to guide university employees in matters related to communication with the public and the news media in order to maintain a consistent public presence and to communicate a consistent message while minimizing the possibility of misinformation or incomplete information being disseminated. This policy applies to all forms of external mass communication, including marketing and advertising materials, use of university logos, and any communications with the news media.
2. News Media
The University and the public are best served when Eastern Washington University (EWU) employees provide accurate information to the news media.
The university media relations specialist is the designated spokesperson for the university and is responsible for writing and processing all university-related news and feature material that is distributed to the media, scheduling all news conferences and coordinating all media requests.
University employees may speak on behalf of the university when specifically authorized to do so.
Employees may respond to media inquiries with their personal opinions or comments, but must make it clear to the media that their comments are personal and that they are not speaking on behalf of the university.
University employees who will be speaking with the news media may contact the media relations specialist for advice and guidance. The media relations specialist also offers guidelines for communicating with the news media through the Office of Marketing and Communications’ (MarCom) website.
If an individual does not wish to speak with the media, he or she may ask the media relations specialist to do so on his or her behalf.
3. Marketing, Publications and Printing
a. All printing projects, display and electronic advertising, camera-ready art and copy aimed at external audiences must be approved by MarCom prior to production and distribution.
b. Grammar and Usage. MarCom oversees grammatical standards for all materials, print and online, produced on behalf of EWU regardless of the audience. It is important to conform to one style to promote consistency.
c. Institutional Identity. All external publications must reflect EWU’s identity guidelines as outlined in the EWU Identity Standards Guide available through the MarCom website.