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Guidelines for Submitting Content to the E-Newsletter
Please read through the guidelines, and follow the link to the submission form at the bottom of this page.
NOTE-A-BULL NEWS POLICY
Note-a-Bull News is a weekly electronic newsletter that provides a brief synopsis of campus information, news announcements and events targeted to USF students. Note-A-Bull News is sponsored by Student Government and distributed by the Division of Student Affairs via USF’s email system to all students every Monday morning (except holidays). Students, faculty, staff, and administrators are encouraged to submit items to Note-A-Bull News. These items are then edited and distributed by the Note-A-Bull News editorial staff. Note-A-Bull News contains links to USF web sites whenever possible to obtain additional information.
Distribution:
Note-A-Bull News is distributed every Monday during the academic year. Submissions through the online form must be turned in by Wednesday at 5 pm for possible inclusion in the following Monday's edition.
GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSIONS
What to Submit:
- News specifically targeting students
- Large scale university-wide programs
- Official university-recognized, group initiatives
- Important events, programs, resources and services
- Opportunities for student involvement
- Highlights of significant student achievement
- You may also send digital pictures and logos to accompany your submission. Please submit your article normally, then email your photo / image to the Note-a-BULL editor with your Name and the Header Text of the item/article you submitted.
Timing of Submissions:
- Understand that events/news not relevant to the upcoming week may not be included
- Non-date sensitive information will be held in the database and included in Note-A-Bull as soon as possible; there is no need to re-submit information.
What Not to Submit:
- Regularly scheduled student organization meetings
- Events that are not open to students
- Non-University events
- Advertising for non-USF entities
- Off-Campus parties
- Recruitment information for classes
- Articles referencing alcohol, drinking or drugs are strictly PROHIBITED
*Disclaimer:
- Note-A-Bull Editorial Staff has final say on whether or not your information is included in any newsletter
Classifying Submissions:
On the information form (link below) you have the ability to select which section of Note-a-Bull your information will be reported. The descriptions below will assist you in determining which category your information best fits. This will serve as a guideline to the editorial staff that has the final decision on where to place the news.
SUBMISSION SECTIONS
Features
This section will be used to “feature” departments, programs, services, and initiatives that require special attention or do not fit neatly into one of the other categories. This is not for events, but rather to help educate students about what certain offices do on campus, and about large-scale initiatives taking place, such as surveys and task forces. You may submit material to be “Featured” and appropriate submissions will be inserted into the newsletter as soon as possible. No need to resubmit if your submission is not selected immediately.
This Week’s Events
As the title suggests, this section is for time-sensitive material. For your department’s event to be featured in this section you must 1)have an event in the upcoming week; 2) the event must be open to ALL USF students; 3) the event must follow all university guidelines. See below for specific information to include in your submission.
Student Organization Events and Updates
Is something new and exciting going on with your organization? Does your organization have an upcoming event that should be publicized? Did you just have a very successful event that you want the USF community to know about? Is there a special recruitment opportunity where students can come to find out more about your organization? If you answered yes, this is the appropriate section for the information you are submitting. Please ensure that your update is relevant to a large percentage of the USF community. Note that materials may be edited and selected at the discretion of the Newsletter Editors.
Get Involved
The “Get Involved” section serves a variety of purposes but mainly to encourage and facilitate student participation and involvement in various activities on campus. It is designed to announce the following: the formation of new clubs and organizations, existing organizations holding recruitment for ALL students, volunteer opportunities, and applications for honor societies. Information relevant to this section can also relate to on-campus job opportunities.
Health & Wellness
Health & Wellness is geared toward announcements from Student Health Services, the Counseling Center, and the Recreation Center. Is the new fitness program schedule posted? Are flu shots available? Is a campus nutritionist speaking on healthy eating habits? Should students be reminded about how to make appointments with the Counseling Center? These are all examples of topics that could be posted here.
Student Communities
This section is for information specific to New Students (Freshman and Transfer), Commuter Students, Residents, International Students, and Graduate Students. Please clarify in your Sub-Heading which you are targeting.
Sports Center
Announcements about this week’s upcoming games, last week’s score reports, and intramural sport sign-ups can be placed here.
Academic Notices
These notices can be anything related to the Academic calendar (i.e. Drop/Add Dates, reminder of the last day to withdraw, upcoming finals information, postings of additional course sections, etc.).
What to include in your submission?
- Name of Sponsoring Organization/Department
- Announcement Title/Headline
- Dates and/or deadlines (if applicable)
- Time (if applicable)
- Location (if applicable)
- Cost (if applicable)
- Sign up or RSVP required?
- Web Address
- Person/Department to contact for additional information (make sure to include name, department, phone and email)
- All submissions must include a brief paragraph. Please provide enough details to be clear, concise and interesting!
Rights of the Editorial Board
- Note-a-Bull staff have final say on whether or not your information is included in any newsletter.
- Note-a-Bull staff reserves the right to edit all submitted information.
Please spell-check and fact-check items before sending them. Please note that Note-a-Bull is not responsible for the content of material found through a link to another page.