Florida A&M University, which hired New York-based DKC in December on a short-term pact to handle fallout from the November hazing death of drum major in its renowned marching band, has given the agency a year-long contract after an RFP process.
DKC is in line for a contract capped at $15K per month – the same rate it has been paid over the past two months -- to provide communications counsel as the school’s board of trustees moves forward with a plan to examine and eradicate a culture of hazing on its campus. The contract carries two option years.
DKC advised the board on the creation of an Anti-Hazing Committee and plan for a memorial and scholarship for the deceased student, Robert Champion. That plan was approved, 9-1, by the board.
Trustee Belinda Shannon, an attorney for GlaxoSmithKline who earned a marketing degree from Florida A&M, has been tapped to coordinate the creation of the committee and as the board’s liaison with DKC.
Shannon said in a statement that the board’s plan “represents the collective interests of
the university, including the board, the administration, the students, and all of our
constituents and supporters.”
Tallahassee-based Ron Sachs Communications provided pro bono support to the board in the immediate aftermath of Champion’s death.
Sharon Saunders is chief communications officer at Florida A&M.