“Each year, this competition takes on a client and uses various forms of communication to promote and raise awareness for an organization over a month-long campaign,” said Torrie Miers, a member of the team.
This year’s chosen client is the Student Veterans of America, including the Campus Veterans Association on campus. The Bateman Team worked closely with CVA to raise awareness of the veterans’ lives on campus.
Christina Coleman, a member of Bateman, said the idea for the POW/MIA chair came when another member noted, “[in] class, you never really know who is in the chair next to you.”
This sparked the interest for their campaign, titled “In The Chair.” Primarily using Instagram, the team created an “In The Chair” account and posted photos featuring UA student veterans, traditional students and faculty in numerous locations on campus.
“These photos included stories from each person, explaining the significance of the military in their lives and why they support it,” Coleman said.
Tyler Hohbach, treasurer and chairman of the Student Veterans Strategic Council, is one student veteran featured in the campaign. After enlisting at age 17, Hohbach was assigned to the 20th Special Forces Group. There he worked mostly on reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition.
“We essentially acted as the eyes of the commander, allowing U.S. and friendly forces to see the battlefield without endangering friendly lives,” he explained.
Hohback said his transition back to student life was difficult. In 2012 he began at Troy University, only to be called back to active duty the following summer. He started at The University of Alabama during the fall semester of 2014.
“Attending Bama Bound left me feeling awkward and alienated,” he said. “Had I not already signed a lease and turned in my military paperwork to leave active duty, I might have decided to just stay in the military and continue with online classes.”
Hohback went on to explain how joining the CVA brought him closer to other student veterans in the same situation.
“I had a friend group,” he said, “people I could go to for advice.”
The Bateman team held fundraising events at Wheelhouse Pub, Black Warrior Brewing Company and Burger Fi, where each venue gave a percentage of the profits back to CVA. They also held an informational mixer at Loosa Brews for members of CVA and other interested student veterans.
Now that the campaign is over, the team is currently working on the plan’s book process, and will submit their complete portfolio to the national competition in April.
“Working with CVA has been an absolute honor,” Coleman said. “This experience has been not only educational, but I am happy to have created new friendships as well with the members of CVA.”
