The Omnibus

Issue date: 4/15/04 Section: Feature

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So many students, so many activities, so little time. At Southwest Baptist University, getting the word out is a strategy. With several communication options available, someone desiring to share news must choose the best medium to reach the target audience.

Media Credit: Ben Cassil A recent survey shows that SBU students receive the most information from campus e-mail.

In a survey conducted with 40 SBU students, a variety of responses revealed the diversity of communication preferences on the campus. Each option has pros and cons.

Campus mail is the one form of communication mainly limited to on-campus students. While some important announcements are mailed to all students, most mass mailings from campus organizations are received only in university housing. These are enjoyed by students who just like receiving mail, but many of these notices end up in the trash can. Campus mail is the favorite of five percent of students. This medium may become more limited as printing costs go up.

Another form of communication receiving five percent of the vote was the Omnibus. Available in both print and online forms, Omnibus access offers the convenience of choice. However, since it only comes out once a week, the campus newspaper cannot cover late-breaking information.

One unregulated and un-sponsored form of communication is word of mouth. At SBU, 7.5 percent of students said they receive the most information from talking to friends. Though this news may be the easiest and most applicable for students, word of mouth can be unreliable.

Also favored by 7.5 percent of students were posters and bulletin boards. The placement of posters is significant to success.

"All posters should be in bathrooms," senior Daniel Walkup said. "It's a place everyone goes, so everyone sees them."

Though this would reach all properly hydrated students, printing restrictions also have an effect on this medium.

The top two communication methods voted by students require no paper. Announcements in chapel, with 10 percent of the vote are the second-best way to reach students. In chapel, students are a captive audience.

"We have to listen," sophomore Cassy Glinski said. "And we have to go anyway."

Though chapel announcements can reach hundreds of people at a time, some students may not be present at chapel and then miss the information.

With a strong lead, campus e-mail is the best way to reach the most students - both on- and off-campus - at 65 percent. This is not the perfect information source, though, because of volume. Even students who listed e-mail as their preferred medium, such as junior Jane Noyes, mentioned the frustration of unrelated messages.

"It's hard to wade through all the e-mails," Noyes said.

Though the e-mails are convenient, selecting applicable messages takes a little time - time some students are not willing to spend.

"None of the stuff pertains to me, so it's a hassle," sophomore Tyler Acorn said.

Sometimes it may seem like multiple e-mails each week come from the same person, but this is because students are not allowed to send out mass e-mails. When a student or an organization wants to send out news or a request, a faculty or staff sponsor must send information out for them. This is the case for Deanna Collins in the SBU Missions and Ministry Office.

"We are kind of a go-between for lots of different organizations such as Disciple Now, Gospel Choir and CSO," Collins said.

Students receive an average of eight e-mails a day. Most of these are deleted, but students still consider email to be the most effective form of communication.

Though there are enough campus events to keep anyone busy, SBU news is not the only important information to students. For national and international news, students turn to different sources. Out of 30 SBU students surveyed, 43 percent say word of mouth is their main source of national or world information. Close behind with 40 percent is the internet. Students have Web sites of CNN, FoxNews, CNBC and others with up-to-the-minute information at their fingertips. Even popular homepages such as Yahoo! and MSN feature news headlines. In last place was television with 17 percent.

"I don't have time to watch TV, and if I do it's to unwind," junior Jeremiah Stewart said.

In the information age, SBU has many communication options. Between all the available mediums, there is an effective way of reaching every student.

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