With the goal of becoming Oakland University’s resident public relations practitioners, Public Relations and Advertising (PRAd) club members love to focus on Oakland’s students and the brands they can make for themselves.

PRAd also helps connect its students to some of the area’s most prolific public relations and advertising practitioners. President of the organization Magdalene Bartholomew loves all of the opportunities the club provides its members.

“We organize agency tours, meet and greets, and guest panels,” she said. “All with the goal of increasing Oakland students’ knowledge of and familiarity with the public relations and advertising industry.”

Bartholomew said the organization is still growing because it is relatively new after getting its start in the 2016-17 academic year..

“While there are a number of national and regional organizations which students can join (and we encourage them to), the founding administration thought that the public relations and advertising community on campus could benefit from having a local org dedicated to catering to the specific needs and goals of Oakland students,” she said. “With the introduction of the nascent public relations and strategic communications major, we thought it was the right time to get started.

As for upcoming events, Bartholomew said PRAd regularly holds general body meetings where interested students can learn more about the organization and help shape its future

“We have a number of special events in the works at the moment,” Bartholomew said. “This includes an AdCon prep session on Nov. 6, a Buffalo Wild Wings fundraiser Nov. 20 and a Super Bowl advert critique in February.For those who may not know, AdCon is Detroit’s premier advertising conference for students, new grads and young professionals.

She added that students thinking about joining the organization are welcome to join the club for the next general body meeting. The club is also preparing to attend AdCon.

“We’d love to meet you and help you find your own unique fit within the organization,” she said. “We’re always looking for people who want to contribute to the organization, it’s a great way to get involved with campus life and help your fellow students in the process.”

For more information, visit PRAd’s Grizz Org’s page.