The Southern Miss Student Media (SM2) Organizational Communication, Structure, and Employee Manual

Below is the scholarly paper portion of my Master's Project. As a Graduate Assistant, I worked closely with the Southern Miss Student Media Center and chose to do my final project in an effort to fill a need they had, which was an employee manual that included policies, procedures, and structure across five divisions.

Introduction

Student media has been in existence since the late 18^th century and early 19^th century but has drastically changed in the last two decades with the rise of digital journalism and fall of traditional media.

At the University of Southern Mississippi, student media has existed for nearly 100 years and provided students with real experience while earning their degree. The Student Printz newspaper was founded in 1927 and has taken many different forms since its start. Traditionally, it was the heart of student media on the USM campus. WUSM radio was launched in 1954 and reaches six counties surrounding USM’s Hattiesburg campus. The station hosts a variety of student-led programming, including the Southern Miss Today news show, News You Need, and many other programs throughout the years. The Student Printz and WUSM have served as the pillars of student media for decades, and in 2021, SMTV News was added to the fold. This gave students an opportunity to have real experience on campus as broadcast journalists. Then, in 2022, with the rise of social media and a variety of changes within the school, the Southern Miss Student Media Center (SM2) was created, and the Strategic Communications and Creative Divisions were added to help with social media, advertising, and creative sales.

Statement of Purpose

Despite the size of the operation, SM2 lacked a formal organizational structure and employee manual. The purpose of this project is to highlight the structure that has been implemented in the last three semesters and to create a manual in order to maintain the structure that has been created and continue to be implemented for future students and advisors. This will ensure the success and longevity of student media for many years to come.

At a basic level, the communication for SM2 contributed to disrupted operations, including unclear expectations, undefined responsibilities, and a lack of feedback checkpoints.  Initially, the advisors and Dr. Beverly served as senders in the communication model when establishing what was needed from the students. Because the organization has a director, advisors, and student leaders, it was unclear what the difference between management and leadership was in those roles’ expectations. A lack of role definitions and a lack of community within the organization led to divisiveness and a variety of issues that impacted the effectiveness and overall operation.

Creating a sense of community and meeting individually with the students throughout the semester allowed us to create a psychologically safe space for ongoing dialogue and begin to create a culture within SM2. It is imperative for SM2 to continue to grow its organizational culture in order to be successful and sustain a functioning organization. This can be reflected in the manual, the attitudes and behaviors of employees, and the overall function of SM2 as a whole.

Background/Scope of Project

The Southern Miss Student Media Center exists to provide students with hands-on, real-world experience in media and communication while delivering accurate, ethical, and impactful content to the University of Southern Mississippi and the Hattiesburg community. While the newspaper and radio stations have existed for a long time, the organization and the majority of the divisions are relatively new. Each division of the organization operated separately from the others, which was common among other schools in the state, such as Ole Miss or Mississippi State. Dr. Jason Beverly, the current Director of SM2, started in 2023 and saw an opportunity for growth and a direction that other schools hadn’t achieved. In an interview with Dr. Beverly, he noted, “All of our divisions are expected to work together as one unit, and they just weren't doing that. And so that causes division, that causes jealousy, people being critical of other people, people not knowing each other” (J. A. Beverly, personal communication, April 9, 2026). He began an initiative to unify the divisions while giving the students real-world experience.

Since the rise of digital journalism, multimedia journalists have become the norm. A multimedia journalist is a reporter who provides content for the newspaper, digital platforms (social media and website), the radio, and broadcast. SM2 was previously operating separately and had students writing and other students providing radio and broadcast content. It was dysfunctional, and it was clear that SM2 was not reaching its full potential. He said, “If you don't know your colleagues and coworkers, you all cannot work towards the same common goal.” (J. A. Beverly, personal communication, April 9, 2026). He noticed there were reporters creating a variety of content, but the job title didn’t match what they were doing. He spoke with faculty, saying, “We need to change their title to multimedia journalists and give them a more concrete structure on what they should do and how they should do it” (J. A. Beverly, personal communication, April 9, 2026).  He then introduced the concept of multimedia journalists (MMJs) to the organization during the Spring 2024 semester, which forced the divisions to actively work together.

Implementing this allowed the divisions to have deadlines and hold the reporters more accountable, but there was a lack of structure, so the combination of flexibility and the production train needing to be fueled let things slip through the cracks. There was also no other school in the region operating this way, so there was no model for SM2 to emulate. SM2 is a student-led media organization, which makes it unique because it isn’t a professional media organization or a student club. There are many blueprints for professional employee manuals and for student clubs, but none were found that matched how SM2 operates.

By Spring 2025, the MMJs needed structure more than ever, and the News Content Division was created. An advisor specific to content was added to the structure, as well as student leaders who acted as Content Director and Assignments Coordinator. The implementation of these roles allowed a team of leaders to be specifically dedicated to the MMJs, who had become the heartbeat of SM2. As the Graduate Assistant, I was assigned the role of the first Assignments Coordinator, and Micah Gibbs, an undergraduate student, became the first Content Director. I noticed a lack of organization and began implementing structure with pitch meetings, production meetings, and office hours. We also created strict deadlines for all content to ensure that all parts of the organization could operate smoothly.

Another initiative that Dr. Beverly had us implement was creating a sense of community among the MMJs, but also among the divisions. We did this by hosting team bonding events and having one-on-one meetings with the students to talk about their successes/potential, but also to give them a voice to speak out if there were issues with processes or leadership. Another issue with student media is that it is student-led, strong student leaders come and go, and the success of how SM2 was operating was volatile and always changing as students graduate and new students come in.

Literature Review

Poor communication in organizational settings often reveals itself not through a single dramatic failure, but through a series of small breakdowns that compound over time. SM2 illustrates how unclear role boundaries, weak feedback loops, and the absence of structured communication channels can prevent the organization from operating at full potential.

            One useful framework for analyzing this breakdown is the Shannon-Weaver model of communication, introduced by Claude Shannon and Warren Weaver (1949). This model conceptualizes communication as a linear process involving a sender, message, channel, receiver, and potential “noise” that interferes with meaning. The linear model also shows that when communication lacks redundancy or verification, misinterpretations can persist unnoticed and lead to bigger issues across divisions.

            Beyond the linear model, the issues can also be understood through principles outlined in Crucial Conversations, which focuses on implementing communication theories and the impact that emotions have in communication processes (Patterson et. al., 2002). The book emphasizes that when stakes are high, opinions vary, and emotions run strong, individuals often avoid speaking up, even when silence creates larger problems. A lack of strong guidance and feedback can lead to resentment, a lack of quality work, and poor attitudes in the work environment. This silence often stems from discomfort, uncertainty about how to articulate dissatisfaction, or assumptions that changes were not possible.

Research on high-performing teams consistently demonstrates that psychological safety, the shared belief that one can speak up without fear of negative consequences, is critical to effective collaboration (Patterson et. al., 2002). Without it, important corrective information is delayed or withheld.

          Role ambiguity can also contribute significantly to the breakdown in the communication model. Organizational communication research shows that unclear role expectations reduce accountability and increase the likelihood that essential tasks, such as follow-up communication, will fall through the cracks (Schuler, 1979). This structural gap allows assumptions to replace dialogue, and improving communication requires both procedural and relational adjustments. Establishing a clearly defined communication plan in a policies and procedures manual is essential to bridging that gap. This plan identifies a primary point of contact, outlines scheduled check-ins, and specifies deadlines for feedback. This creates accountability and reduces ambiguity in the work environment.

           In order to better define roles in a work environment, it is important to note the difference between management and leadership. According to the Review of Classical Management Theories, “Management is a function (planning, organizing, controlling, directing, leading, monitoring, staffing, communicating, and coordinating, etc.) to exercise while leadership is a relationship (selecting talent, motivating, coaching, and building trust, etc.) between leader and followers” (Mahmood et. al., 2012). Without these roles being defined, the organization can experience divisiveness and other issues within the organization.

            Beyond communication, organizational culture is imperative to the success and sustainability of a functioning organization. According to the Influence of Organizational Culture on Organizational Effectiveness, “Organizational culture is all about the values, beliefs, shared meanings, assumptions, codes of behaviour, practices, procedures, and rituals in an organization” (Gochhayat et. al., 2017). In a policies and procedures manual, the overall function of the organization must be highlighted, as well as the beliefs that act as the foundation of the organization and its culture. “It is the glue that holds the members of the organization together, leading to higher performance and effectiveness” (Gochhayat et. al., 2017). A manual with a better communication process and structure will allow for consistency and ultimately make the organization more effective, which must work hand-in-hand with the culture that is created. Once the culture is developed, there is a shared understanding of the values and norms amongst the leaders and students, and all signals have a clear meaning to everyone (Schein, 1985).

Method/Goals

            The Southern Miss Student Media (SM2) Organizational Structure and Employee Manual serves as a comprehensive guide designed to outline the mission, structure, policies, and daily operations of the organization. Its primary purpose is to ensure consistency, accountability, and professionalism across all divisions while providing students with real-world media experience. The manual defines SM2 as a collaborative, cross-platform organization made up of print, broadcast, digital, and strategic communication teams, all working together to produce accurate, ethical, and impactful content for the university and the surrounding community. It also establishes clear leadership roles, employee expectations, editorial standards, and workflows to maintain high-quality production. Additionally, the manual emphasizes professional development, ethical reporting, time management, and academic responsibility, while providing guidelines for recruitment, onboarding, and conflict resolution. Overall, it functions as both a structural blueprint and a professional standard to prepare students for careers in media and communication and maintain the successful operations of SM2.

            Implementing structured feedback loops would directly address the breakdown identified in the Shannon-Weaver model. The message should clearly state the revision window and the consequences of delayed feedback. This approach reduces “noise” by verifying shared understanding at multiple stages.

            Cultivating a culture of open dialogue is equally important. Drawing from the principles in Crucial Conversations, students should be encouraged to voice concerns early and directly. This can be facilitated by explicitly inviting critique in instances such as the production meetings, pitch meetings, and one-on-one meetings, which normalizes constructive feedback.

            Continuity of relational contact should be maintained even if the advisor’s direct role diminishes. Maintaining the relational bridge between the advisors, student leaders, and student workers helps the divisions from feeling disconnected and provides clear channels of communication.

Conclusion

            In conclusion, communication failures often arise not from incompetence but from unclear structures, insufficient feedback mechanisms, and avoidance of difficult conversations, which result in the operational failure of an organization. By applying communication theory, it becomes clear that the breakdown stemmed from disrupted channels, role ambiguity, and delayed feedback. Moving forward, Southern Miss Student Media can utilize the manual for clearer role definitions, structure, and to continue to create a culture that encourages early dialogue. “Regardless of who comes and goes, we'll have that blueprint. You know, in this situation, this is what we need to do. And so that's why it's so important that we have a good, sound, comprehensive, and in-depth manual that's going to be here forever” (J. A. Beverly, personal communication, April 9, 2026). Ultimately, effective communication must be intentionally designed, maintained, and reinforced at every stage, and this manual allows for that potential in the future for many years to come.

References

Gochhayat, Giri, V. N., & Suar, D. (2017). Influence of Organizational Culture on Organizational

            Effectiveness: The Mediating Role of Organizational Communication. Global Business    Review, 18(3), 691–702. https://doi.org/10.1177/0972150917692185

Mahmood, Z., Basharat, M., & Bashir, Z. (2012). Review of classical management           theories. International journal of social sciences & education, 2(1).

Patterson, K., Grenny, J., McMillan, R., & Switzler, A. (2002). Crucial conversations: Tools for   talking when stakes are high. McGraw-Hill. 

Schein E.H. (1985). Organizational culture and leadership (1st ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Schuler, R. S. (1979). A role perception transactional process model for organizational      communication—outcome relationships. Organizational Behavior and Human  Performance, 23: 268–291.

Shannon, C. E., & Weaver, W. (1949). The mathematical theory of communication. University of Illinois Press.