By Jackie O’Leary

KU’s public relations club is preparing for a bus trip to the Newseum Institute in Washington, D.C. on March 3. All students and faculty are welcome.

The $15 ticket price covers the bus ride, admission and a guided tour. Snacks, lunch and drinks are not included. Students can expect a 60-minute guided tour through the Newseum Institute and personal time to explore Washington afterward.

The museum focuses on the history of journalism and First Amendment rights, along with how that relates to newswriting today.

Reno Unger, former Director of Public Relations and professor at KU said, “Thinking about the media coverage of historic events will give you a much deeper understanding about the reality of what happened.”

The club started preparations in spring 2016 and has been fundraising and finding co-sponsors to help locate money for the cost. The process started when Unger learned about the Newseum from KU alumni.

From there, Unger went to the dean of visual and performing arts college, department of communication studies and English department, who agreed to co-sponsor the trip.

However, even with co-sponsors, the club is missing $520 to help secure the trip at a ticket price of $15 apiece. To help with more fundraising, the members are selling communication studies water bottles for $12 and 16-gigabyte flash drives for $8.

“The club has been working really hard to make the Newseum trip happen and will be a great opportunity for anyone at KU. It will be a trip many people can benefit from,” said Autumn Crouse, public relations treasurer.

The public relations group’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts will provide updates about the fundraisers.

Aside from planning the Washington trip, the club is planning to invite alumni or professionals from the field to speak to club members at various meetings through the semester.

Public relations club meetings are scheduled for Oct. 25, Nov. 8, Nov. 22 and Dec. 6 in LC 236 at 11 a.m.