By Erin Roberts, roberte1@ohio.edu

ATHENS, Ohio (Aug. 24, 2009)—Ohio University’s student chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) has once again been named Outstanding Campus Chapter in Region 4 and will be recognized during the national SPJ Convention & National Journalism Conference on August 28 in Indianapolis. 

“We came out really strong this year and did a lot of good work,” said junior Evan Millward, who served as president of the 2008-2009 chapter. “SPJ turns 100 this year, and our idea was to get back to our roots and celebrate the past but to also look to the future and explore the unknown about what media is right now.”

Annually, each of SPJ’s 12 Regional Directors selects one chapter in his or her region that has performed outstanding service to the Society, their campus and the journalism profession. From these 12 chapters, one chapter is selected by the Vice President for Campus Chapter Affairs as the Outstanding Campus Chapter of the Year. This year’s national winner is the University of Florida.

Millward said Ohio University chapter activities included the introduction of Inc., a newsletter that offers students internship opportunities, news and commentary; iChats with alumni; workshops on iMovie, InDesign and other tools that help journalists to be more well-rounded; a book drive that benefited underprivileged child in Athens County by collecting more than 150 books for Children Services clients; and sponsoring an essay contest for area high school students.

“It was a comeback year for us, and I only expect the organization to get stronger because we have great leadership team in place for this year,” Millward said. “We’ve generated quite a dialogue within the university community about First Amendment rights and Freedom of Information.  We’ve become a bit of a watchdog group and have helped student journalists on campus advocate for their rights.”

Other 2008-2009 Ohio University SPJ officers were Lauren Smith (vice president), Jamie Ratermann (secretary), Stefanie Toth (treasurer), Kevin Zieber (programming chair), Maranda Saling (publicity chair), and first-year officers  Ian Bowman-Henderson, Sarah Maloy and Taylor Mirfendereski. The chapter adviser is Assistant Professor Cary Roberts Frith of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism.

Also at the conference, Ohio University students who won first-place Region 4 Mark of Excellence Awards in April will find out if they are national winners. These students include Charles Yesnczki and Brock Fowler, for Breaking News Photography; and Emilie Schneider, for Breaking News Reporting.

Although sponsored by the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, the chapter is open to any Ohio University student who is interested in pursuing journalism as a career.

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. For more information about SPJ, please visit www.spj.org.