Almost one year ago, the St. Lawrence Media Relations Department switched their press release system to an updated version of the old service, Hometowns. This new system is called Merit and sends out press releases for student successes, from enrollment to making the Dean’s list to studying abroad and graduating. This system allows the Media Relations Department to write one press release and, using the zip codes of students, send it to their hometown newspapers. The student is now able to receive the release that is also sent to the hometown newspapers. This allows the student to share their achievements on their social media pages or sites.

The overarching company, ReadMedia, completely changed their system processes in order to send releases directly to the students. SLU spent six months trying the system to see if we wanted to continue using it. Director of Media Relations Ryan Deuel said that it was “A learning curve,” but now they are getting the feel for how it works. They spent months figuring out the company and how other institutions use it, then fully switched over to the program over this past summer.

“Deciding to switch to Merit was an informed decision,” said Deuel. Now, he is trying to expand the achievements to include the Athletic department and Career Services. They want to be able to provide a rounded picture of each student without limiting achievements the student has made.

Deuel also stressed that Merit allows students to create a positive digital identity. They will be able to share their page with potential employers to highlight their positive achievements.

Students began receiving Merit announcements last spring when the system was being piloted. After they fully committed over the summer, Merit sent another email to every student at SLU. The office of Media Relations customized a Merit Page and Merit badges to reflect SLU’s identity. The achievements of a student will go toward creating a positive digital identity. In addition, sharing student achievements improves SLU’s name recognition by showing what types of opportunities SLU has to offer.

Many students did not know what these emails meant when they first received them. Deuel sent out an email to all students at the beginning and mid semester to explain what it was. “I didn’t have a problem with the email, but I didn’t quite know what it was about,” said Maxime Bost-Brown ’17. Others thought it wasn’t a university approved email. “I thought it was spam, so I deleted the email without opening it,” said Abby Grant ’17.

While upperclassmen tend to be more confused as to what Merit is, first year students really seem to enjoy it. There was a 95% engagement rate on the enrollment announcement, which is an incredibly high level. In addition, students can opt out from the emails if they want to.

Deuel wants students to know that this was done to help press release achievements to hometown newspapers to get their name out there. The IT department knows that these emails are not spam and students should not be worried about that. Deuel has taken student suggestions back to the company, because how the students feel influences the Media Relations department’s decisions to continue on with the program.

Any further questions will be able to be answered by visiting the info page about the Merit pages, and reading the FAQ’s listed at https://www.stlawu.edu/university-communications/merit.