Chapter Beats Out 28 Other Campus SPJ Organizations
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NEW BRUNSWICK — The Rutgers student chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists has been named 2010 Chapter of the Year for the region that encompasses the entire Northeast.
This distinction, which recognizes the work of the students in the chapter, places Rutgers at the top of the 28 college chapters in the region which includes New York, New Jersey, all of New England and the eastern half of Pennsylvania.
Winning this award is considered an unusual distinction for a college chapter because the level of competition in the region is very high and includes some of the top journalism chapters in the United States.
In winning this award, the Rutgers chapter is considered a four-star chapter, the highest level attained by a college chapter. It means the chapter submitted its annual report on time; the chapter was represented at both the regional conference and the national convention; the chapter met the membership requirement; it held a minimum of eight meetings per year including four meetings on journalism related topics such as diversity, Freedom Of Information, Project Watchdog, campus crime reporting, ethics or any other topic currently relevant to SPJ missions. During the past year, the Rutgers chapter held many meetings that met this requirement, including its Campus Media Forum, in which representatives of the campus media met with the Rutgers community to defend their news judgment.
The Rutgers chapter, based at the School of Communication and Information, also brought well-known journalists to campus and held a session to acquaint Rutgers students, as well as the general public, with the Open Public Records Act.
The decision to grant the award to Rutgers was made by the Regional Director of SPJ, Luther Turmelle.
“Being a leader requires an ability to do what is right, not what is popular,” said Turmelle. “It also means listening to what others have to say and sometimes modifying your opinion because others have made a case for something you might not have thought of before.”
Rutgers students traveling to the SPJ National Convention in Las Vegas the week of Oct. 3 will receive the award in person. Only 11 chapters were selected for Chapter of the Year out of hundreds across the United States.
"It’s encouraging to see so many young journalists dedicated to upholding the ideals of SPJ," Turmelle added. "I was especially impressed with the campus chapter’s collaborative effort with the Rutgers Department of African Studies to produce a program on censorship in Sierra Leone. The RU chapter also had a program that brought all types of campus media together to discuss the importance of ethical journalism. At a time when some would suggest that journalism is at a crossroads, the effort that the Rutgers chapter of SPJ gives me confidence that the future of our business is in good hands.”
Although membership is open to any undergraduate or graduate student at Rutgers in any major, the officers of SPJ are currently majors in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies.
“I was so moved by the announcement,” said Ron Miskoff, who teaches journalism at Rutgers and is one of the two advisers of the group. “I have worked with students toward this goal for 15 years, and each group of students built on the one before. Sometimes it was two steps forward; one step back. This award does not mean, however, we can rest on our accomplishments, but rather try to emulate the best in journalism and to serve the Rutgers community. The key is to educate future journalists so that the level of expectation remains high.”
The chapter’s advising duties are shared between Miskoff and Dr. Barbara Reed, who also teaches in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies. The department is part of the School of Communication and Information (SC&I).
President Travis Fedschun noted that the past few years were important in building the chapter’s activities and goals.
“It is just really nice to see what we've done with this organization over the past three years in going from a group barely scraping by to one that is an active part not only in the realm of SC&I, but also university-wide,” he said. “It’s exciting not only to look at what we've already been able to accomplish, but to what lies ahead for us in the future.”
Other key journalism figures on the Rutgers campus were likewise impressed.
"I have long admired the hard work and dedication of our journalism students,” said Dean Jorge Reina Schement, the dean of SC&I. “I'm delighted to see them receive this hard won recognition."
He was joined in his praise by John Pavlik, the chair of the Department of Journalism and Media Studies.
"The Rutgers SPJ chapter provides a distinct addition to the classroom,” Pavlik said. “By holding events, attracting speakers, and involving students in real-life work practices, SPJ has made learning about journalism more exciting while it adds to the total experience. I commend the students for their hard work."
The distinction of Chapter of the Year is especially important because Rutgers is in the same region as some of the best journalism schools in the nation. Included in the region are student chapters at Syracuse University, New York University, Boston University, and Columbia University.
Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to a well-informed citizenry; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press. The national headquarters are in Indianapolis. For more information about SPJ, visit www.spj.org.
The campus chapter’s website is www.ruspj.org.
The list of winners for this year follows:
The regional honorees are: Region 1: Rutgers University Region 2: Appalachian State University Region 3: University of Florida Region 4: Ohio University Region 5: Eastern Kentucky University Region 6: St. Cloud State University Region7: University of Iowa Region 8: None Region 9: Colorado State University Region 10: Pacific Lutheran University Region 11: Arizona State University Region 12: University of Mississippi From this group, Ohio University was selected for the Outstanding Campus Chapter honor.
Media Contact: Ashanti M. Martin
732-932-7500 ext. 8012
E-mail: ashanti@rutgers.edu