Case Study: TCU takes control of the message

Running Headline: DISSEMINATION OF NEWS 1

Dissemination of News: Texas Christian University

takes control of the “drug bust” message

Bianca Castro Student

Texas Christian University Schieffer School of Journalism

P.O. Box 290109 Fort Worth, TX 76129 [email protected]

DISSEMINATION OF NEWS 2

Abstract

In February 2012, Texas Christian University Chancellor Victor Boschini formally

announced the arrest of 17 students to the TCU community through e-mail. TCU later held a

conference to deliver their message to local and national news companies, using a variety of

traditional and nontraditional outlets to disseminate information discussed within the conference

to the outer public. The methods and outlets used to diffuse the news and control the “drug bust”

event’s message will be analyzed in order to understand their impact on the TCU brand. Through

this case study, comparisons between how the case was handled and the ethical theory of

utilitarianism will be investigated; this assessment will uncover whether or not TCU successfully

protected the greatest amount of people by serving the greater good. The evaluation of the final

outcome will be helpful to others who handle crisis communication, as this case study will

evaluate the TCU event and determine its success relating to utilitarianism and its company’s

values and principles.

Keywords: Utilitarianism, crisis communication, media relations, Texas Christian

University, TCU, harmony, social media, traditional media, nontraditional media, case study


The press conference

On Wednesday, February 15, 2012, at 8:05 a.m., Chancellor Boschini sent out a campus-

wide email titled “Important Campus News” to Texas Christian University students, faculty and

staff. The email contained an official announcement concluding “an investigation into drug

selling on and around campus that unfortunately led to the arrest of many current TCU

students”.1 The e-mail became a press release located on the university’s main website

immediately; Twitter guided traffic to the press release, as the official TCU Twitter account

released its first tweet at 9:24 a.m.2 Within four minutes of the first tweet released, TCU

announced its press conference would be held at 9:30 a.m., and stated that it would be tweeting

live during the meeting.

The 20-minute press conference featured commentary by Boschini, Chief Steve McGee

from TCU Campus Police, and vice chancellor for Student Affairs Kathy Cavins-Tull.3 Boschini

stated that the biggest goal TCU sets is to maintain a healthy and safe environment for all its

students, faculty and staff. Expectations set for students include that they behave in an ethical

manner, that they abide by the TCU student code of conduct, and that they follow all state and

federal laws. The students arrested exhibited behavior that was incompatible with the norms at

TCU, and that would not be tolerated at the university. Boschini stated that this event was not a

defining moment of the university – rather, it just made the community even stronger by creating

a sense of unity. He said Cavins-Tulls would be responsible for determining new strategies

within campus life that to deter the behavior.

McGee then verified that 17 students were arrested through an undercover operation

involving both TCU and Fort Worth Police Departments. The operation began after the

departments received many complaints from TCU students, staff and parents, as well as the Fort


Worth community. The students arrested sold the following drugs: marijuana, cocaine, molly

(powdered form of ecstasy, ecstasy pills, acid, and prescription drugs). “There is no doubt that all

of those arrested are drug dealers,” said McGee. “These individuals engaged in hand-to-hand

delivery for money with undercover narcotic agents.”

Boschini closed the conference with questions from the press, making sure to clear up

any confusion. The Chancellor declared that the drug event was not an athlete or fraternity issue

– it was a student issue based on individual actions. When asked why the university was so

honest about the situation, Boschini said that the TCU administration is keen on transparency,

and that social media leaves nothing a secret. “[Drugs] are a societal issue and [TCU] is a small

microcosm of that society,” said Boschini. “We are not going to tolerate [drugs]…this is the

message we want to send out today.” The Chancellor ended the press conference by stating that

99.9 percent of the students within TCU “are doing the right thing.”

Importance of traditional and nontraditional media

The introduction of social media revolutionized the ways in which the people of today

communicate. Nontraditional media such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube seem to dominate

among consumer usage in comparison to traditional media outlets such as radio, television and

newspapers. Since its inception to the online world in 2006, Twitter has accumulated more than

175 million registered users (calculated in 2010), with popularity not only among the general

public, but also within the political, social and celebrity communities.4 The calculated 850

million users found on Facebook in 2011, a drastically larger number than that of Twitter,

contribute to magnifying the importance social media takes globally.5 In fact, Facebook would

be the third largest country in the world if its users were to populate its own region.6 The

increase in value regarding social media amongst the growing generations provides companies,


organizations and personalities to generate a two-way communication flow with its constituents.

One can not only disseminate a message publically, but also calculate the effectiveness of the

respective message through various data trackers and conversations generated.

Traditional media, in contrast, is slowly losing its audience as consumers lean towards

the online community. Newspaper circulation, for example, decreased 1.9 percent within a six-

month period; this decline trend has occurred for more than 20 years.7 The issue at hand does not

relate to the credibility of the source – easily accessible news online simply triumphs print news

that is only available certain days of the week. Although television usage remains steady,

programs shown at specific hours of the day may not be most the convenient way to see the news

through the eyes of a consumer. In order to most effectively and continually reach an audience,

collaboration between both traditional and nontraditional media should be utilized to spread

news; the balance found between using the contrasting media lead to the ultimate success of any

group or individual trying to communicate. Furthermore, by strategically using each media in

conjunction with one another, an organization will have the best opportunity to portray a certain

message in the manner in which is most desirable.

The tweets, Facebook status posts, press releases, press conferences, and print articles

relating to the “drug bust,” created directly by the official TCU accounts, were collected and

assessed for this case analysis. Media dissemination began February 15, 2012 and continued

until April 2012. Information from other outside news sources, or other TCU sources that were

not directly from TCU administration, were disregarded in order to fully analyze the message the

university sought to spread through these channels.

Use of media via official TCU voice


Nontraditional media outlets began the dissemination of the “drug bust” news. Through email

and Twitter, communities inside and outside of TCU began receiving news. The email was later

transformed to a type of traditional media through its creation as a press release. TCU posted the

following three tweets to capture the complete press conference:

1. “Chancellor Boschini, ‘We take the health and safety of our students seriously.’” 2. “17 students were arrested for selling drugs on and off campus. It was a

coordinated effort between TCU and FW police departments.” 3. “Chancellor Boschini says, we are not going to tolerate this. If you want to do

something like this you shouldn’t be at TCU.”

TCU ended its live tweeting at 9:49 a.m., responding to only two questions via Twitter after the

press conference. The first response, sent at 10:44 a.m., clarified that the press conference had

indeed concluded. The second response, delivered Thursday, February 16, remarked that the Fort

Worth Police Department informed the Chancellor of the investigation eight days prior to the

arrests. Only two other remarks made February 15 regarding the drug bust were published via

Twitter; first, TCU retweeted the TCU Athletics Twitter account’s statement given by Chris Del

Conte, TCU Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, and Gary Patterson, head coach of the TCU

football team (12:59 p.m.). Second, TCU posted a link to access photos taken at a campus prayer

vigil held for the people affected by the drug arrests (9:59 p.m.).

TCU dispensed another press release on their main website titled “FAQ regarding Feb. 15

police activity” as a supplement to the press conference; this statement contained a concise and

informative textual account for all publics.8 Facebook proved to be a trivial media outlet in

regards to disseminating the drug arrest news. The school’s official Facebook page solely

updated its status during the evening of February 15th about the campus prayer vigil, with a link

to access pictures taken at the event on Flickr.9 Media coverage of the drug bust through official

TCU media sources (Facebook, Twitter, press releases, Flickr, The TCU Magazine) ended April


18, 2012 with the publication of The TCU Magazine for its spring 2012 edition. Written by TCU

alumnus Rick Waters, the article titled “Drug bust puts TCU in spotlight” summarized the

information discussed during the press conference, as well as updated readers of formal charges

granted by the Tarrant County District Attorney’s office.10 The article also contained a picture of

the prayer vigil held on the TCU campus.

Utilitarianism

The ethical theory of utilitarianism can be defined as making a decision to promote the

greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of people. It declares that in each situation, “all

that matters ultimately in determining the right and wrong choices is the amount of good

promoted and evil restrained.”11 The arrest of 17 students resulted at the conclusion of the “drug

bust” – but how does this relate to utilitarianism? Within the press conference held, Boschini

stated that the United States was plagued with the selling and use of illegal drugs; he also stated

that TCU was a little world – a microcosm – within the United States that was also afflicted with

the same problem. The arrest of the students made a clear and decisive statement to the

communities both within and outside of TCU: association with illegal drugs would not be

tolerated in order to create a healthy and safe environment for others. The consequence of

breaking this standard would not only mean dismissal from the university, but also legal

implications. The Chancellor’s statement, therefore, protected the 99.9 percent of students that

do not associate with illegal drugs, and also people nationwide that do the right thing. In effect,

the 17 arrested students are the ones punished (the collateral damage), while the general

population within TCU remained protected.

Values/Principles


TCU directly lists its values on its main website, and states, “TCU values academic

achievement, personal freedom and integrity, the dignity and respect of the individual, and a

heritage of inclusiveness, tolerance and service.” 12 Within these values, certain principles can be

ascertained. Providing a prestigious education is the primary principle at the university, as it

values academic achievement. Secondly, the university places trust in its students by letting them

learn and grow from mistakes made, because it respects each individual and values freedom.

The university prides itself for creating programs that intentionally care for its

community by taking into account what its students, faculty and staff need to prosper and be

happy; this principle can be validated through the value of service. These programs should

maintain a theme of diversity and inclusiveness, and these themes should also remain relevant

through all realms of education provided by TCU. In order to most effectively abide by values

and principles listed, the students selected by the TCU administration should emulate “TCU”

through their actions and words.

Stakeholders/Loyalties

The stakeholders and loyalties to the TCU brand are numerous. One of the primary

audiences TCU reaches is students – prospective, current and past. Without students, TCU would

not be able to maintain itself as a university. Opinion leaders within this group are parents or

guardians of students, as they will most likely be assisting with the monetary aspect. Current and

potential faculty and staff are also very important, as they contribute to the university’s being and

reputation. Subgroups within the university directly affected by the drug arrests include athletics

(as well as the coaches) and Greek organizations—but in reality, all TCU clubs and

organizations are university stakeholders.


The reputation and stability of TCU directly influence its relation with donors – if the

university is perceived negatively through the media, donor contributions would most likely

decrease. Other subgroups outside of TCU include athletic organizations and companies, such as

the Big 12 and ESPN, which monitor TCU athletics. The respective groups view TCU as a

stalwart of ethics and integrity for its values, principles, and ability to do what is right instead of

what’s convenient. Therefore, all action and communications administered by TCU must be

considered through the perspectives of each stakeholder and loyalty in order to best preserve the

integrity of the institution.

Conclusion

TCU’s immediate transparency regarding official news dissemination correlated most

specifically with its value of service; in the context of the “drug bust,” service represented TCU’s

duty to serve its stakeholders and loyalties. The university’s clear motive to create a safe and

healthy environment for its community led to its dismissal of 17 students in order to protect the

greater population—a utilitarian ethical strategy that promotes the greatest amount of good for

the greatest amount of people. The collaborative use of a press conference, two press releases,

The TCU Magazine, Twitter, Facebook and Flickr provided a successful media mix that reached

communities with a message controlled directly by TCU. Through harmonious efforts amonst

the traditional and nontraditional media, as well as successful strategic crisis communication

planning, the institution maintained a generally favorable view among various publics during the

“drug bust” event. Given such, companies, organizations and institutions facing similar situations

should conduct themselves like TCU did, so long as the respective values are honored.

1 Important campus community news from Chancellor Boschini. (2012, February) Texas Christian University. Retrieved April 21, 2012, from http://www.newsevents.tcu.edu/2482.asp.


2 https://twitter.com/tcu 3 Powell, S. (2012, February). TCU News Conference on Wednesday Morning Drug Bust. WFAA. Retrieved April 24, 2012, from http://www.wfaa.com/news/crime/TCU-news-conference-on-Wednesday-morning-drug-bust-139366338.html. 4 Schein, A. (2012). Twitter, Inc. Hoover’s, Inc. Retrieved April 21, 2012, from http://subscriber.hoovers.com/H/company360/fulldescription.html?companyId=160756000000000. 5 Schein, A. (2011). Facebook, Inc. Hoover’s, Inc.. Retrieved April 21, 2012, from http://subscriber.hoovers.com/H/company360/fulldescription.html?companyId=148344000000000. 6 Hardaker, M. (2011, January). Third Largest Country In The World Facebook. Mountain Weekly News. Retrieved April 21, 2012, from http://mtnweekly.com/if-‐facebook-‐was-‐a-‐country-‐it-‐would-‐be-‐the-‐third-‐largest-‐in-‐the-‐world-‐11731. 7 Shin, A. (2005, May). Newspaper Circulation Continues to Decline. The Washington Post. Retrieved April 21, 2012, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-‐dyn/content/article/2005/05/02/AR2005050201457.html. 8 http://www.newsevents.tcu.edu/2483.asp 9 https://www.facebook.com/TCUTexasChristianUniversity 10 Waters, R. (2012, April). Drug Bust Puts TCU in Spotlight. The TCU Magazine, pp. 10. 11 Christians, C. (2005). Media Ethics: Cases and Moral Reasoning. Boston: Pearson/A and B. 12 http://www.chancellor.tcu.edu/mission.asp

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Case Study: TCU takes control of the message