Appalachian’s student publications receive awards at national convention

Posted Feb. 2, 2015 at 11:58 a.m.

BOONE—Members of the student publications The Peel Literature & Arts Review and The Appalachian at Appalachian State University received 12 awards at the fall 2014 National College Media Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The convention serves members of the Associated Collegiate Press/College Media Association.

Students from Appalachian and their advisor also participated in sessions or panel discussions at the convention.

The Peel Literature & Arts Review won a Magazine Pacemaker Award from the Associated College Press and was a finalist in the ACP’s Online Pacemaker category. The Peel won in the literary category for four-year institutions.

“This is the highest award available in collegiate media for media outlets, as it’s been called the Pulitzer Prize of collegiate media,” student media advisor Allison Bennett Dyche said. “The Peel has never been named a finalist for the award, so to not only be named a finalist but also to win is a huge honor.”

Members of The Peel’s editorial board for the 2013-2014 academic year were: Olivia Wilkes, editor-in-chief; Mark Kenna, associate editor; Kelsey Woodford, public relations; Katie Johnson, graphic designer; Jeremy Nolan-Cherry, web designer; Caitlin Thomas, visual editor; Connor Childers, poetry editor; Robert Layman, fall 2013 poetry editor; Hannah Parker, spring 2014 prose editor.

The magazine can be viewed at http://thepeelreview.com.

Students from the student newspaper The Appalachian were honored by the College Media Association.

In the CMA design category, former student Andrew Cox received a first place for Best Editorial Cartoon for “Obama and Putin.” The Appalachian also won first place for Best Online Page. Justin Perry is the web director of the newspaper. Cox also received a second place award in the cartooning category for his editorial cartoon “Bible Belt of Inequality.”

Designer Malik Rahili and photographer Rachel Krauza won second place in the Best Newspaper Photo Page/Spread category of the photo essay “In Photos: Corey Smith.”

Jackson Helms won a third place ACP award in the Best Viral Video category for “An Evening with Don Winsley.” Cory Spiers received a third place ACP award in the Best Online Sports Section category. A third place award in the Best Sports News Photo went to photographer Justin Perry for his “Get Rocked” football photo.

ACP honorable mention award were presented to former The Appalachian editor Michael Bragg for his front page editorial about the university’s chancellor search process.

Videographer Jerrold Fernandes was a finalist in the ACP’s Multimedia Story of the Year category for his video “Appalachian State University’s Women’s Rugby.”

Students presenting at the conference include Michael Bragg, former editor-in-chief of The Appalachian and current intern with the Student Press Law Center in Washington, D.C., who presented a session called “Don’t Forget about Municipal Elections” on how student news organizations can effectively cover not only their student government association races on campus but also mayoral and council races in their cities.

Andrew Clausen, former sports editor for The Appalachian and current sports information intern with the Sports Information Department in Appalachian’s Department of Athletics, presented a session called “Crisis Communication: When the S*** Hits the Fan” on how to develop a breaking story from the viewpoints of journalists and public relations officials.

Bennett Dyche served on a panel, along with advisers from Arkansas State University and Rice University titled “Advising 202: Connecting with Resources,” which addressed how to find advice and make best use of the resources available for student media advisers.

In addition to Bragg and Clausen, six other students from Appalachian attended the convention: Gerrit Van Genderen (managing editor, The Appalachian); Malik Rahili (visual managing editor, The Appalachian); Paul Heckert (business manager, The Appalachian); Laney Ruckstuhl (news editor, The Appalachian); Stephanie Sansoucy (community outreach director, The Appalachian); and Dave Dykes (public relations coordinator, The Peel).

About Appalachian State University

As the premier public undergraduate institution in the Southeast, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls nearly 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.