Spring Break
ICE Peer Marketing Program enlists students for campaign
Zakk Jones
Daily Staff Writer
- Page 1 of 1
"What they want is awareness, and they want to get new recruits," said Nathaniel Yip, a senior marketing major who is an advertising and public relations representative for the student marketing group known as Melting Ice.
According to a press release, the members of Melting Ice are spending this semester preparing, implementing and evaluating a marketing campaign with a budget of $2,500.
Yip said the group is currently working on posters and fliers as well as a Web site and also has plans to visit other college campuses around the Bay Area, including UC Berkeley, Cal State Hayward and UC Santa Cruz, to look for possible recruits.
The press release issued by Melting Ice said SJSU was one of only five schools chosen to participate in the ICE Peer Marketing Program, which is managed by EdVenture Partners, a Berkeley-based company that organizes collaborations between college campuses and industry clients.
Richard Werbel, a professor of marketing/decision sciences who oversees the group's activities, said SJSU has been working with EdVenture for about 10 years. Past clients, he said, have included General Motors and the FBI.
"The reason why they picked San Jose State is because, ethnically, we're diverse," Yip said.
ICE, he said, is looking for people who identify with their native cultures.
"They're looking to bridge the culture gap," he said.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Web site, ICE is "the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security." The Web site says the division's duties include the prevention of and response to "threats arising from the movement of people and goods into and out of the United States."
Melting Ice's press release said Immigration and Customs Enforcement currently employs more than15,000 people and expects to add another 10,000 to its ranks nationwide.
Yip said positions at the Department of Homeland Security division are "open to everybody," but recruiting will be aimed toward students and people with backgrounds in areas such as social studies, administration of justice, linguistics, criminal justice and international studies.
Amol Deshpande, another Melting Ice representative who is a senior double majoring in management information systems and marketing, said he is enjoying the experience because it involves interaction with "a lot of departments on campus and outside of campus."
"We get to meet a lot of people and educate them about the (Department of Homeland Security)," he said. "This will be a good experience for my major."
Werbel believes that Melting Ice is a "great learning experience."
"They have a client, which gives them a little bit more motivation, I think, and a little bit more responsibility," he said. "They don't usually have that."
Werbel said the project also builds skills related to team building, writing and oral presentation.
"It's just a really good mix of things they have to do," he said.
Yip said being involved with the Melting Ice project has also helped him interact with potential recruits and develop relationships with them. He said that those involved with Melting Ice have to show a genuine interest in the recruits' careers, because they can spot insincerity.
Werbel said that when looking for potential interns, he seeks out those who have the time and who can "work without a lot of direction."
More information about SJSU's Melting Ice project can be found at www.thinkice.com.
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