This was a great way for students to learn, to at least some extent, what it's like to work in the field, and that is valuable for those who may have little internship experience,

The novels put advanced students in the shoes of a fictional professional.

Students learned about crisis management and how to address the media when something goes wrong, as well as how these fictional public relations professionals handled ethical problems. Instead of just talking about ethical standards or spin theory during class, we had real examples of professionals working with different kinds of news media, such as 'Larry King Live' and the 'Today Show.'

It's been great working with these students. They are great kids, and they are very talented.

I generally think students have these pages to express themselves and interests, but not necessarily what their actual reality is... they might talk about drinking a lot, but don't actually drink. Youth are trying on different faces to see how others react to them.

Students have less rights. They can be drug tested and can be searched on reasonable suspicions. Whereas with adults, you have to have a warrant signed by a judge or probable cause. The consent degree in this case will hold the police to a higher standard, which will help prevent them from overreaching again. The message it sends to everyone is that you need to be good at self-governance and don't overreach the bounds because you will be held accountable.