Framing Scenario Imagine that you work for the public relations office of Lake Okiboji University

(L.O.U.). Your college is merging with a smaller school that was just about to close its doors for good. Your frame is that the merger will help both schools. The student body at L.O.U. will grow (increasing tuition revenue), and the merger will create an attractive new branch campus. Students at the smaller college (who would have been forced to transfer) can now finish their degrees without leaving town. The presence of a stronger university will also benefit the community as a whole. In addition to offering classes and cultural and athletic events, L.O.U. will become the area’s largest employer when the merger is complete. Not everyone agrees with your perspective, however.

You’ve heard the following comments from students, faculty, donors, and others in the community:

• L.O.U. is getting too big and impersonal.

• The leaders of L.O.U. are “empire builders.”

• The needs of students have been ignored in the rush to merge.

• L.O.U. is more interested in collecting more tuition and acquiring property than in meeting the needs of the community.

Generate some possible responses to these competing frames and then pair off with a classmate. Take turns playing the role of the public relations professional and a stakeholder who is critical of the merger. When you’re done, evaluate how well each of you constructed and communicated the university’s frame to the hostile stakeholder.