The Shield takes Awards at Indiana Collegiate Press Association Ceremony

The Shield received four awards at the Indiana Collegiate Press Association ceremony on Saturday, March 28. Jon Webb, editor and an English major/journalism minor, won first place for best news feature with "You gotta get a grip," the story of a nontraditional student who immersed himself in art after a debilitating automobile accident. The judge wrote, "What an unusual lede and approach to a memory of a traffic crash. The word choices in this piece were right on, and I especially liked the use of `crumpled, aluminum corpse΄ to describe the man's mangled truck."

Travis Snyder, assistant news editor and journalism major, won second place for best non-deadline news reporting for "3.986 GPA = Magna Cum Not Enougha," a story about situations that might prevent a student from graduating with honors. "Well researched. Esoteric topic, but important for your readers. In-depth look at an issue," the judge wrote.

The Shield staff won third place for best staff editorial with its endorsement of candidates for president, governor, and 8th district representative. The judge wrote, "Cleanly presented endorsements that got right to the point. You took a stand on each candidate, and succinctly backed up your position."

Erin Gibson, instructor in journalism and advisor to The Shield, said, "This is further evidence that The Shield is growing and improving, and it shows that these students have been able to practice what they've been learning in the classroom and apply it to hard hitting news and feature writing as well.

"The submissions were across the board from our staff, and in the end four individuals received awards. That shows the depth of the talent. It isn't just with a couple of students; we have many students who contributed to make the paper great this year."

The staff also won third place for best special issue with its 40th anniversary The Roach special edition. Gibson said, "That was a challenge for the students because it was a 16-page publication and they are used to doing eight pages. Not only did a lot of people on the campus learn about the history of The Shield, but it also was acknowledged with this award."

In December, The Shield staff picked up two awards in the Hoosier State Press Association's Better Newspaper Contest. Andrew Foster, opinion editor and an English/journalism major, won second place for best feature story with "Warm welcome defies bitter cold," and Seth Grundhoefer, managing editor and a journalism major with a radio/TV minor, won third place for "Allergen mold cleaned from O'Bannon Hall."

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