Guidelines for Wichita State newsletters

Strategic Communications' newsletters provide a consolidated repository for university news, events, policy updates and university-wide messages.

WSU Today is Wichita State University's official newsletter communication for faculty and staff and runs every weekday when the university is open.
Shocker Blast is WSU's official newsletter communication for students and runs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday when the university is open during the fall and spring semesters, and Wednesdays only during the summer.
Campus Connection is WSU's official newsletter communication for Innovation Campus partners and runs every Tuesday when the university is open.

All approved newsletter submissions provided to Strategic Communications will run as space allows, with editing and final publication decisions determined by Strategic Communications.

The following instructions outline guidelines for submitting items to the newsletters. For additional information, or to ask any questions not addressed, contact Caelin Bragg at caelin.bragg@wichita.edu or at 316-978-3013.

Newsletter guidance

General information

Strategic Communications staff will edit submissions for accuracy, punctuation, grammar, relevance and in accordance with Associated Press Style. Refer to the WSU writing style guide for more information on the university's guidelines. Separate submissions that are similar in content may be condensed for clarity. If we alter a large portion of your content, we will send it back for review to ensure accuracy.
WSU Today and Shocker Blast should not be used to promote outside entities or events that are not organized or sponsored by WSU or a WSU Innovation Campus partner. Accordingly, submission publications shall be limited to news and events about a WSU college, office, department, center, institute, student, faculty, staff or Innovation Campus partner.
Submissions will run as space allows. In general, all submissions will run only twice.
Publication decisions, including any decisions that deviate from these general guidelines, will be made at the sole discretion of Strategic Communications.
For a step-by-step guide to submitting an item to the newsletters, watch the how-to video.

Requirements

Submissions can be made via this form by noon the business day before the requested run date. Individual exceptions may apply.
Content submitted to newsletters must be relevant to the audience. WSU Today is for faculty/staff. Shocker Blast is for currently enrolled students. Campus Connection is for Innovation Campus partners. Inclusion in any of the newsletters is at the final discretion of Strategic Communications.
Submissions will only be accepted by university faculty, staff, student employees, student organization representatives or university partners. If you're an outside entity that has a special for WSU students, send them to Kaley Archer in Student Engagement & Belonging.
By submitting information and images to the newsletters, you are confirming that the information provided is accurate, follows Image Accessibility Requirements (see below), and is original content. If the content is not original, please provide a link to your source in the optional "Comments" section of the submission form. See Web Content Accessibility Guidelines for more information.
Submissions requesting volunteers for research or surveys must have an IRB approval letter before submitting.
In cases of a submission for the death of a former employee, please provide a link to a published obituary.
In cases of a submission for the death of a current employee, contact Human Resources. Once approval is granted by HR, provide a link to a published obituary.
In cases of a submission for the death of a student, please follow the Deceased Student Protocol.
Job opening submissions for WSU faculty or staff vacancies must already be listed on the Human Resources website before submission to WSU Today. Job openings are not published in Campus Connection. Student positions are run through Shocker Career Accelerator and are not advertised in the newsletters.

Additional Guidelines

If there are any special instructions, please indicate them in the "Comments" section of the submission form. Strategic Communications will try but may not be able to accommodate all requests.
Submissions should include basic details but do not need to include all pertinent information. It is encouraged to update your college's/division's website with pertinent information and provide that link in your submission for readers who want to learn more.
Submissions should be no more than 150 words long. Submissions that exceed 150 words may be shortened to fit within this limit.
- If you are submitting a news story from your college or department, please submit the first few paragraphs of the copy and provide a link to where readers can view the full story.
Submissions soliciting donations are discouraged and made by exception only. Contact lainie.mazzullo@wichita.edu.
Submissions for fundraisers must be for a WSU organization/entity and must involve an event that employees/students can attend, or a product or service employees/students can receive.

Image accessibility requirements

Images must be accessible for all readers, including those who are blind or have low vision. Follow these guidelines:

Images and photos must be horizontal and have a minimum width of 800 pixels, and preferably be a 4x3 aspect ratio (800x600 pixels). Strategic Communications can help resize the image after submission.
- Headshots can be vertical and must be a minimum of 250 pixels wide, in a 3:4 aspect ratio, or 250x333 pixels.
Limit words in images as much as possible. Graphics are a visual accompaniment to newsletter posts with most details in the written portion. Any graphics with more than 20 words included cannot be run. Individual exceptions may occur.
Type/font should be large – 16 pt minimum on an 800x600 sized image, but larger font sizes are better to help improve readability.
Text must strongly contrast with the background color. For example, white text on a yellow background should be avoided.
All information in an image must also be in the suggested text of the submission. That’s also where you can add additional information or link to a website with more information.
Images must be a jpg or jpeg file. No png or PDF files.
QR codes cannot be used in digital images. These are for physical posters/flyers.
URL or website links should be avoided in graphics. If one needs to be in the graphic, only use an accessible link (e.g., "wichita.edu/sc" instead of "https://www.wichita.edu/services/strategic_communications/index.php").
Avoid dominant colors that relate to another university, i.e., black and yellow are always the best choice if you’re looking for color options.
A brief description of an image – as well as any words in the image – must be provided in the "Image alt text" section of the submission form. Learn more about writing appropriate alt text.

Example of an inaccessible image

Alt text: Image with various graphics, logos and text

Avoid stretching text.
Avoid graphics that cover text.
If you have more than one date or time, list text in the body copy instead.
If you have more than one sentence, place text in the body copy instead.
Avoid using multiple logos or graphics next to one another.
The WSU logo should not be manipulated or low contrast.
The alt text is not descriptive enough.

Example of an accessible image

Alt text: Decorative bats, a carved pumpkin and a candle on a Shocker yellow background. Office of Strategic Planning Initiatives presents Fall Pumpkin Carving

Text is legible and high contrast.
Important text has moved to the body of the post for accessibility and legibility purposes.
The WSU logo is legible and high contrast.
The alt text describes all relevant information in the image.