The financial aid profession has received a plethora of bad press recently. To correct misinformation and/or provide an alternative viewpoint, individuals on campus should reach out to the local media to better educate the public about various issues. One such tactic is the drafting and distributing of an opinion article (or op-ed) to your local media outlets. Opinion articles give you an opportunity to develop your persuasive message in a longer format and have it printed on the opinion page of your local newspaper. For tips on writing opinion articles, please see Reaching the Media Through Opinion Articles.

Just last week, the financial aid community was instrumental in getting a large publisher to modify its Web site by removing misleading references to a corporate sponsor. The reference had appeared on individual schools' pages. We applaud all the individuals on campus who took the time to write letters, send emails, and make phone calls. Your efforts worked. Congratulations! This impromptu grassroots campaign clearly points to the power of harnessing the collective energies and expertise that exists within the financial aid community. When we show a unified voice in delivering our message to the public, lawmakers, and regulators through the media and other resources, we can make things happen. We can be purveyors of change.

Over the next few weeks and months, NASFAA will be developing templates that members can use to help facilitate communications with the press. At our National Conference in July 2007, our public relations consultant will be presenting a session on working with the media and providing attendees with some tips and training for better delivering messages through the media. We plan to post a video recording of this session on the NASFAA Web site after the conference. In addition, we will be developing a special NASFAA media resources guide and adding material to the Media Center of the NASFAA Web site for members to use when dealing with the media. If you have any ideas or you need additional support, please contact Mindy Kaplan Eline, NASFAA's director of marketing, at elinemk@nasfaa.org.

Posted 03/22/07 to www.NASFAA.org. Redistribution to non-NASFAA institutions is prohibited. Please submit Web Site questions or comments to Web@NASFAA.org.