Section 7: Communication Guidelines
7.1 Style Guide & Approval Requirements
USU STARS GEAR UP
The USU STARS GEAR UP acronym is our official title and is what we want people to know us by. It should be used in communicating any activities, both internally and externally, to students, parents and the public. It should always be written in uppercase letters.
GEAR UP
The GEAR UP part of the above acronym refers to the Department of Education's nationwide program and should always be written in uppercase letters.
Local Education Agency (LEA)
Districts and schools in the USU STARS GEAR UP program are referred to internally by the Department of Education as a Local Education Agency, or Local Education Agencies (LEAs) in the plural form.
Site Coordinator
When referring to a specific site coordinator, his/her title should be listed as “[School Name] USU STARS GEAR UP Site Coordinator.” The title should be capitalized immediately preceding the site coordinator's full name.
Utah State University
The Utah State University (USU) logos are registered trademarks, so it is important to use them correctly. We are part of the College of Education and Human Services at USU and must be displayed as a primary logo, partnered with the USU STARS GEAR UP logo.
As part of USU, promotional designs or other marketing materials must be submitted and approved by USU Marketing & Communications (UMAC) prior to use. If you have questions about this process, please contact either your Program Coordinator, or MK Jones (mk.jones@usu.edu), the USU STARS GEAR UP Webmaster.
See the documents below for more information and guidance on branding:
USU Brand Toolkit - Colors
USU Brand Toolkit - Fonts
Logo Usage Guidelines
USU STARS GEAR UP Logo Usage Checklist
7.2 Photo Release Guidelines
When using photographs of individuals in social media, press releases, promotional materials, and other visual media, it is important to consider if a release/consent form from the photograph's subjects is required before the photograph is published or otherwise made publicly available.
When a Release is Typically Required
Get a signed photo and video release whenever subject includes:
- Minors (i.e., anyone under age 18). It is very important to obtain a release/consent form for minors.
- Students or parents, identifiable, and in a location for a specific purpose other than being photographed. For example, if a group of current students is in a camp on the USU campus.
- Subjects/models are the primary focus of a photograph taken in a non-public space, are recognizable, and have been recruited specifically to serve as subjects/models.
Photo release/consent forms should be obtained from subjects/models in instances where an individual can be identified and is the primary focus of a specific photograph.
Sample release/consent forms in English and Spanish are available in the forms section of this manual.
Photo and Video Release Form - EnglishPhoto and Video Release Form - Spanish
Copyright Releases
Always get written permission to use someone else's photo, video, or design, even when the circumstance does not require a signed copyright release form; e.g., on social media.
Get a signed copyright release whenever the photo/video will be:
- Put to commercial use (defined asselling the photo or video such as in a calendar or on a T-shirt) * Made prominent on our USU website
- Included on print materials we cannot recall back (DVDs, viewbook, marketing brochures)
Questions about the use of photographs for USU STARS GEAR UP may be directed to either:
- MK Jones, USU STARS GEAR UP Webmaster: mk.jones@usu.edu
- Bobbee Russell-Verhoef, USU STARS GEAR UP Marketer II: bobbee.russell@usu.edu
7.3 Social Media
USU STARS GEAR UP Accounts
USU STARS GEAR UP Social Media Accounts can be found on the following sites:
When creating or running USU STARS GEAR UP social media sites, the USU Brand Standards for Social Media must be followed.
Contact Bobbee Russell-Verhoef (bobbee.russell@usu.edu), the USU STARS GEAR UP Marketer II before creating a GEAR UP school social media account, or if you have any questions.
7.4 Webpages & Online Content
It is important for each partner school to have a GEAR UP presence on their school's website. Students and parents are likely to search for information relating to GEAR UP on your school's website, and having a page can help them understand how the program can serve them best. The webpage can also serve as a bridge to other USU STARS websites and resources.
For assistance setting up a GEAR UP webpage for your school, please contact your school or district IT personnel, along with MK Jones (mk.jones@usu.edu), the USU STARS GEAR UP Webmaster.
7.5 Media Outreach/Press Coverage
Reaching out to local media is a great way to increase community awareness of and involvement in your LEA. Inviting the media to events featuring the great work of your students and teachers will allow the community to learn more about your school and the USU STARS GEAR UP program.
Steps for reaching out to the media
- Write a press release or media advisory: Choose the format for announcing your event that best suits your needs. Press releases are usually a more general announcement while a media advisory invites the reporters to attend a specific event. In either format, make sure you cover the basic questions (when applicable) of: Who? What? Why? How? Where? When? (highlighting the date, time, and location of the event).
Designate a spokesperson, someone closely involved with your LEA, such as the site coordinator, to be a media contact, and include a name, telephone number, and email address. - Distribute the press release: Send the press release or media advisory out two weeks prior to an event to area reporters from newspaper, television, and radio. Be sure send the email to a specific person, when available, and to include the press release or media advisory in the body of the email rather than as an attachment. This will help your email avoid spam filters and reach a person.
Tip: If you or someone involved with your LEA has a relationship with the media or a specific reporter, have that person reach out and/or follow up. Also try reaching out to reporters who have covered your school(s) previously. - Follow up a few days before the event: Plan to email or call to remind a reporter of what your event is and where it is happening, and how to reach you. This will make it much more likely that your story will be covered. Before you talk to a reporter, prepare a brief recap of the event and why you think that they should interested in it.
- On the day of the event: Prepare for an interview by choosing a few students and advisors that love to talk and are generally outgoing. Get their permission and make sure that you have a signed photo release form on file. Have them wear their school, USU, or GEAR UP shirts. Review talking points and rehearse with them, covering the Who? What? When? Where? and How? of the event.
Tip: Make sure you have contact information for any journalists that you speak to and be available to answer questions or refer the reporter other contacts in the program, as well as future events/announcements. - Send a thank you: Writing thank you notes to members of the media that cover your story and/or attend your event helps you to build and maintain good relationships.
If you plan to contact media or have media present, contact Bobbee Russell-Verhoef, USU STARS GEAR UP Marketer II: bobbee.russell@usu.edu
7.6 Talking Points
When talking to media and others, consider weaving your local story, experience, and numbers into one or more of the following talking points. This helps connect USU STARS to the national GEAR UP effort.
| Talking Point | Description |
|---|---|
| GEAR UP is a competitive grant program of the U.S. Department of Education |
GEAR UP increases the number of low-income, minority, and first-generation students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. |
| GEAR UP Is Community-Based |
GEAR UP provides services at high-poverty middle and high schools. The program unites the entire community in a responsive, creative and research-based effort to get entire classrooms of low-income, minority and disadvantaged children and their families, ready for higher education. |
| GEAR UP Leverages Local Resources |
Because GEAR UP is built around public-private partnerships, it enlists resources of government, industry, business, labor, community groups and places of worship alike, in the cause of helping low-income students prepare, enter and succeed in college. |
| GEAR UP Is Cohort-Based |
GEAR UP works with entire grade levels, and whole schools, supporting low-income students and their families, starting no later than the 7th grade, through 12th grade, and into first-year college. |
| GEAR UP Is Research-Based |
GEAR UP helps local school systems improve student achievement by providing them with resources, training and expertise to use the most effective and evidence-based interventions. |
| GEAR UP Provides Critical Early College Awareness and Support Activities |
The program includes interventions such as tutoring, mentoring, rigorous academic preparation, financial education and college scholarships to improve access to higher education for low income, minority and disadvantaged first-generation students and their families. |
| GEAR UP Works |
The program now serves more than 560,000 low-income students nationwide in 42 states, the District of Columbia, and three U.S. Territories. |
USU STARS GEAR UP
Utah State University Science Technology Arithmetic Reading Students (USU STARS) received its first GEAR UP seven-year grant in 2012, and has since been awarded three additional seven-year grants in 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2025. The program partners with schools in which at least 50 percent of the students enrolled are eligible for free or reduced-priced lunch. The program is cohort-based which means that it works with entire grade levels, and whole schools, starting in 7th grade through the first year of post-secondary education.
The USU STARS GEAR UP program is part of the School of Teacher Education and Leadership in the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services at USU. Funding for USU STARS GEAR UP totals around $64 million across all grants, providing direct services to nearly 13,000 students starting in 7th grade. With the program's dollar-for-dollar cost share requirement, the total program investment into Utah's schools will be $128 million. The program works to leverage local communities' assets to enhance students' academic achievement and college readiness in preparation for realizing their education and career goal.