After it was revealed last month that President Alexander Gonzalez endorsed red-list animal hunts in Tanzania, Sacramento State called in public relations expert Doug Elmets to help the university save face.

Elmets, president of Elmets Communication, once worked in the White House under the Reagan Administration as a speechwriter and spokesman for domestic issues, but is best known locally for the “Yes on Q & R” campaign, which proposed a tax increase to pay for a new arena for the Sacramento Kings.

Laurie Hall, writer and editor for the office of Public Affairs, said Elmets “was hired to give an outsider’s perspective to the administration.”

She said the university is currently going through a period of transition and personnel changes.

“We’re just looking for some counsel,” she said.

The counsel came after Gonzalez found himself under scrutiny in September, when news broke out that he signed letters to the Tanzanian government requesting that local residents Paul and Renee Snider be allowed to hunt animals – some of which are on the red-list – to add to the campus museum.

Elmets, who charges $275 an hour for his services, is being paid by University Enterprises Inc.

Calls to University Enterprises Inc. were not returned, but Hall commented on the situation.

“We are always sensitive to state funds and that allows us to get this additional advice without using state funds,” she said.

Dennis Laskey, senior public relations major, said bringing in a consultant shows Gonzalez is trying to reconnect with the students.

“I think it’s a good thing to reshape the president’s image,” he said. “It definitely shows integrity – it shows he cares about the school.”

Natalye Childress Smith can be reached at [email protected].