Client Project Written Presentation

Samantha Kilmartin
COMM 499-001
Client Project Written Presentation
4/29/2015
Blake Mycoskie, founder and creator of TOMs shoes and author of Start Something That
Matters states, “To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better,
whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition. To know even one
life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” For our client
project, that is what we wanted to accomplish – something that matters. Finding success for not
only ourselves, but for others as well, was our main goal. We did not want a senior project that
would simply get us a grade and allow us graduate, but rather something to let us know that at
the end of the day, we have helped someone feel a little better about oneself, whether it is
through events, programs, or raising awareness. We chose to do our client project on Dr. Sandy
Alspach and are in the process of creating a Special Olympics Registered Student Organization
(RSO) at Ferris State University because we want to start something that matters.
Special Olympics in Michigan has been a part of the Special Olympics movement since
1968, when Eunic Kennedy Shriver took action on focusing on children with intellectual
disabilities. The goal was to learn what children were able to do with sports and activities, rather
than what they were not able to do (Special Olympics, n.d.).
The idea to start a Special Olympics RSO stemmed from a seed that was planted in us by
Dr. Sandy Alspach. She wanted to start something that involved Special Olympics, and felt as
though the three of us would be a good fit for it; therefore, she passed it along to us in the fall
semester of 2014. The three of us agreed starting at RSO was not the best option for us at the
time due to lack of extreme commitment. Therefore, when we were notified that we were
required to have a client project for this class, we picked back up on what we had started and
went from there. Dr. Alspach then agreed to be not only our client for the project, but the advisor

Samantha Kilmartin
COMM 499-001
4/29/2015
for the RSO as well. There is not a centralized RSO of any kind that specializes in Special
Olympics at Ferris State University, which is the problem that we addressed for our project.
Another problem entailed with this is, is that since there isn’t an organization to specialize in
Special Olympics and Dr. Alspach wanted to make this dream become a reality, the Sports
Careers RSO was not only doing their RSO activities, but trying to incorporate Special Olympics
into it as much as possible. This not only added more work to their RSO, but took away from
Sports Careers and Special Olympics, which are both equally important and deserve worthy
amounts of time.
After meeting with Dr. Alspach to see what we needed to do to progress, she referred us
to organizations that may be under an umbrella for Special Olympics, such as Phi Sigma Kappa
whose philanthropy is No Shave November for Special Olympics, Professional Golf
Management, Education Department, Educational Counseling and Disabilities Services
Department, and Central Michigan Universities Special Olympics contact. After having no luck
with none of the following organizations, we were close to giving up. We wanted to start over
and come up with a new client project. However, all three of us have a deep passion for helping
the special needs community. We are all closely tied to this community, whether it be family
members our friends. Therefore, our hearts were in it for the long run and it was something that
we really wanted Ferris State University to be a part of as well. Also, we all felt too committed to
Dr. Alspach and wanted to see success come from this. Therefore, we got together and started
brainstorming ideas of what we could do to promote Special Olympics. From there, we came up
with monthly events (see Appendix II) that could be used for awareness and promotion. Next, we
met with Dr. Alspach to see what else it took to start a RSO, in which she informed us that

Samantha Kilmartin
COMM 499-001
4/29/2015
writing a Constitution stating the fees, forms, rules, regulations, and standards all members are
held to upon joining the Ferris State University Special Olympics. We then looked up a
Constitution outline and began to construct our own. After completing it, we reviewed it with Dr.
Alspach and made adjustments where necessary. Following up with our Constitution, our next
biggest task was to find 5 dedicated members to make up our E-Board. Kalee and Samantha
decided to take the roles as President and Vice President for the fall 2015 semester, but are still
in search of Secretary, Treasurer, and Public Relations members. Even though Jacquelyn is
walking in May, she will still be in the area during the summer when we hope to get our ideas
going in motion and in the fall when we hope to be an established RSO. She will attend some
meetings and events and act as an honorary member.
For our project, we based our research around Artistotles three modes of persuasion and
rhetoric – ethos, pathos, and logos. Ethos appeals to the trustworthiness or credibility of the
writer or speaker, pathos relates to the emotional appeal, and logos are connected to the logic.
This theory appealed to us throughout our project for using persuasion in the right means to get
the RSO known and established. Reflecting back on each mode in specific, for ethos, we used
Dr. Alspach’s credibility of working with and being the advisor of multiple RSO’s and her
decision to select us to start it. Also, we used the resources of the CLACS office to construct our
constitution, which explains in detail the rules and regulations of joining our RSO, and also
requires initials and signatures throughout it so that members are well-informed. Next, for
pathos, our true emotion for Special Olympics has really shined through and has motivated us to
put our time and dedication into it. Also, starting this RSO at Ferris continues to raise awareness
for Special Olympics. Lastly, when looking on the logical side of things through logos, we

Samantha Kilmartin
COMM 499-001
4/29/2015
needed to ensure that our RSO was structured properly and followed the steps precisely to
reinsure us that it would be legitimate and successful. Furthermore, we researched what some
well-established RSO’s on campus have done, such as promotion “pluggers” and event flyers to
incorporate it into ours. Also, we made sure that the FSU Special Olympics RSO would appeal to
our peers because there are many who are interested in this and who want to see it on campus.
Since a RSO is a long process and cannot be signed off by a small group and get
approved, it is currently a work in progress. We have our Constitution (see Appendix I) and list
of monthly events (see Appendix II) completed and are now in search of three more E-Board
members who are willing to commit to a new beginning. Furthermore, we will continue
throughout the rest of the semester and summer doing all we can to make this an established
RSO for the fall. We will keep in contact with one another as well as Dr. Alspach to continue
moving forward with this process. Our current results are on a progressional track and we are
excited to see where our future with this RSO will take us.
For the future, our biggest goal for launching our RSO is to stay organized and be
welcoming of people who want to join and be open to ideas that can help our organization in any
way. It will be challenging to get this started and to be successful, but we have come quite far in
our progress and can only hope that we can keep bettering ourselves as time goes on.
Furthermore, our efforts to start a Special Olympics RSO at Ferris State University are underway
and reflect positive progress.

Samantha Kilmartin
COMM 499-001
4/29/2015
Appendix I: Constitution
FERRIS STATE UNIVERSITY SPECIAL OLYMPICS
2015-2016 CONSTITUTION
EMAIL: fsuspecolym@gmail.com
E-BOARD:
PRESIDENT: Kalee Coss VICE PRESIDENT: Samantha Kilmartin
SECRETARY: TREASURER:
PUBLIC RELATIONS:
Ferris State University Special Olympics RSO works collaboratively with other organizations
that are interested in Special Olympics.
Each month, the RSO will host an event or participate in existing events which are held
throughout the year to promote and raise awareness for Special Olympics.
Contained in this packet is an outline of all fees, forms, rules, regulations, and standards all
members are held to. At the end is a set of bylaws, followed by a membership contract.
ARTICLE I.: OFFICIAL ORGANIZATION NAME
Ferris State University Special Olympics.
INITIALS: _____
ARTICLE II.: OBJECTIVE
The Ferris State University Special Olympics promotes all Registered Student Organization
(RSO) activities and behaviors. It also creates awareness and gets students involved in promoting
Special Olympics.
INITIALS: _____
ARTICLE III.: REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL ACTIVE MEMBERS
In order to be an active member of Ferris State University Special Olympics, one must:
 Be a current and full-time and undergraduate student of Ferris State University.

Samantha Kilmartin
COMM 499-001
4/29/2015
 Pay his or her membership fee (as well as the remaining applicable fees) at the beginning
of the year.
INITIALS: _____
ARTICLE IV.: DUES
RSO Members: A membership fee is due at the beginning of each semester; no exceptions later
than the first official meeting. Executive Board members will determine dues per semester. First
Official Meeting Date:
The member will not be able to participate in any club-related activities until all dues are paid in
full. All dues are nonrefundable.
INITIALS: _____
ARTICLE V.: FEES
Upon joining the club, there is a standard membership fee determined by the Executive Board.
Upon joining the club, there is an optional tee shirt fee. Shirt prices and orders will take place
during a meeting.
Date of first official meeting: / /
INITIALS: _____
ARTICLE VI.: OFFICERS
Elections for E-Board officers will be held for the following year’s positions at the first meeting.
In order to be eligible for a position on the E-Board, one must be a member of the club for a full
school year (as in the end of the spring semester). All E-Board members are expected to attend
all meetings, unless a 24 hour notice of absence is provided to all other E-Board members. The
specific roles of the officers are as follows:
President:
 Preside over all general club meetings and events.
 Organize monthly events and meetings.
 Plan and create meeting agenda.
 Attend the RSO President’s Meeting at the beginning of the semester.

Samantha Kilmartin
COMM 499-001
4/29/2015
Vice President:
 Preside over all general club meetings and events in the president’s absence.
 Help organize monthly events and meetings.
 Help run and organize meeting agenda.
 Recruit members.
 Attend Sports Careers RSO meetings.
Secretary:
 Record accurate meeting minutes and post them to Facebook and OrgSync groups within
a week.
 Give secretary reports at beginning of meetings, including a review of previous meeting
minutes.
 Take attendance at meetings, events, and update them to Facebook and OrgSync groups.
 Collaborate with Public Relations officer for Facebook and OrgSync updates as needed.
Treasurer:
 Collect dues at beginning of semesters.
 Track all club funds.
 Collaborate with event hosts and Special Olympics.
 Give an accurate treasury report at meetings.
 Attend the RSO Treasurer’s Meeting at the beginning of the semester.
Public Relations:
 Maintain and update Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts regularly.
 Coordinate with other organizations.
 Record community service opportunities and hours.
 Promote events to Ferris State University and Big Rapids community.
 Coordinate with outside event hosts.
INITIALS: _____

Samantha Kilmartin
COMM 499-001
4/29/2015
ARTICLE VII.: MEETINGS
Attendance for general meetings is expected and will be planned each semester in attempt to
accommodate each member’s schedules as best as possible, especially with those of the
President, Vice President, Secretary, and Public Relations.
At least two (2) E-Board members must be present for a meeting to be considered official.
INITIALS: _____
ARTICLE VII.: ATTENDANCE
Attendance for general meetings is expected.
 There will be three (3) monthly meetings and all active RSO members are required to
attend at least two (2).
 Members are required to participate in at least two (2) events per semester.
 Attendance will be taken at the beginning of every meeting by the Secretary.
 Members are required to check-in with the President or Vice President at events to be
accounted for attendance.
INITIALS: ______
ARTICLE VIII.: CONSTITUTION MODIFICATIONS
In order to modify any of the pertaining information in the Ferris State University Special
Olympics 2015-2016 Constitution, 4/5 (80%) active members must vote and agree upon the
desired modifications.
INITIALS: _____
2015-2016 BYLAWS
SECTION III. – PART 1: REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL ACTIVE MEMBERS
In order to be an active member of Ferris State University Special Olympics, one must:
 Pay his or her membership fee of $10 per semester.
INITIALS: _____

Samantha Kilmartin
COMM 499-001
4/29/2015
SECTION IV. – PART 1: DUES
Standard Membership Fee:
RSO member: $10.00/semester.
Optional T-Shirt Fee:
$10.00
Fees are subject to change upon the E-BOARD.
INITIALS: _____
SECTION VI. – PART 1: OFFICERS
In order to eligible for a position on the E-Board, one must obtain a GPA of 2.5 or higher. One
must maintain this GPA throughout his or her entire time fulfilling an E-Board position.
INITIALS: _____
SECTION VII. – PART 1: MEETINGS
2015-2016 Fall Meetings: Tuesdays at 7:00 PM in University Center Room ___. Please note you
must have your student identification card for entry.
INITIALS: _____
SECTION VIII. – PART 1: BYLAWS MODIFICATIONS
In order to modify any of the pertaining information in the Ferris State University Special
Olympics 2015-2016 bylaws, 3/5 (60%) active members must vote and agree upon the desired
modifications.
INITIALS: _____

Samantha Kilmartin
COMM 499-001
4/29/2015
MEMBER INFORMATION:
Name: ________________________________________________________________________
Student ID: ____________________________________________________________________
Major: _____________________________ Birthdate: __________________________________
Age: _______________________________ Year: _____________________________________
Expected Graduation Semester: ____________________________________________________
Are you living on campus this school year? (Please circle one) Yes No
Home Address: _________________________________________________________________
School Address: ________________________________________________________________
Phone Number: __________________________ Text? (Please circle one) Yes No
Email Address: _________________________________________________________________
Have you initialed every article item within the Constitution and of the Ferris State University
Special Olympics RSO, as well as the set of bylaws? (Please circle one) Yes No
I will join the Ferris State University Special Olympics RSO Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and
OrgSync portal within one (1) week of signing this contract if I have not already done so. (Please
circle one) Yes No
I allow the Ferris State University Special Olympics RSO to text me regarding important, time-
sensitive information, (Please circle one) Yes No
Upon signing this Constitution and Special Olympics membership contract, I
____________________________, acknowledge I am representing Ferris State University and
am held to the standards, requirements, and duties listed in this constitution, as well as the Code
of Student Community Standards through Ferris State University. I am held responsible for
knowledge of this Constitution and all future amended versions of this Constitution. I have had
all (if any) of my misunderstandings of this Constitution clearly answered prior to signing.
Printed name: __________________________________________________________________
Signature: _____________________________________________________________________
Date: _________________________________________________________________________

Samantha Kilmartin
COMM 499-001
4/29/2015
Appendix II: Monthly Events
2015-2016 MONTHLY EVENTS
Proceeds from events will be divided equally between the RSO and Special Olympics foundation.
Monthly events are subject to change upon 2/4 member vote.
January –Canvas Painting through Cool Cats Art Studio in Big Rapids, MI
February – Polar Plunge in Chippewa Lake, MI
March – Relay for Life
April – Sports Careers Special Olympics basketball game
The Big Event
May – End of the year Ice Cream Social
June – E-Board event planning & RSO maintenance
July – E-Board event planning & RSO maintenance
August – E-Board event planning & RSO maintenance
September – Bulldog Bonanza
October – 5k walk/run with Homecoming committee
November – No Shave November with Phi Sigma Kappa
December – Cookie decorating

Samantha Kilmartin
COMM 499-001
4/29/2015
References
Special Olympics. (n.d.). Special Olympics Michigan. Retrieved from http://www.somi.org/

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