COLLEGE WINNERS/COMMENTS

Here are the College Newspaper Awards List with judge's comments. If there are typos, quite sorry, let me know at billnorrisspj@yahoo.com and I'll try to get 'em fixed.

S1 Best Newspaper
FIRST PLACE: The Poly Post, Cal Poly Pomona
COMMENTS: Excellent job of reporting on topics and issues related to students and their interests. Tuition, price of beer, cell phones.
SECOND PLACE: Campus Times, University of La Verne
COMMENTS: Look for stories on issues and topics more relevant to students for the cover. “Protecting the Planet” was a good idea.
THIRD PLACE: Viewpoints, Riverside Community College
COMMENTS: Fantastic, bold design. Very view of the news stories were about the campus itself or issues and topics important to people of college age.
S2 Best News Story
FIRST PLACE: Marilee Lorusso, ULV Campus Times
“Cancellation of Crimonline Sparks Governance Debate”
COMMENTS: A thorough examination of the issue. The story was well-organized and balanced.
SECOND PLACE: Sher Porter and Jonathan Smith, ULV Campus Times
“Live Hip Hop Banned from ULV”
COMMENTS: This story flowed well and was balanced. The story needed to state more clearly why this issue was being written about now.
THIRD PLACE: Timothy Guy, RCC Viewpoints
“Riverside Parade Honors Veterans”
COMMENTS: Good color and lively quotes.
S3 Best Feature Story
FIRST PLACE: Jessica Bell, Campus Times, University of La Verne
“Senior project captures complex ‘Electra’ ”
COMMENTS: Good lede. Writer creates powerful imagery, at times delivers poetic quality and shows a strong use of descriptive words. Story goes beyond simply describing the visuals in each scene but explains their significance. Well-chosen quotations add more depth to the story, not merely reiterating previous paragraphs.
SECOND PLACE (Tie): Michelle Ajemian, Campus Times, University of La Verne
“Put your best foot forward”
COMMENTS: Michelle Ajemian’s story, "Put your best foot forward," has a playfulness and easy flow to it, which fit the topic. It simply could have consisted of the writer’s opinion, but it also used quotations from experts in the field of fashion/shoes. Some lines convey strong imagery, while others reveal a power in their simplicity.
SECOND PLACE (Tie): Daniel Tedford, The Poly Post, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
“Shootings raise awareness over campus security” and sidebar “Thoughts on Virginia Tech Massacre”
COMMENTS: Daniel Tedford’s story, “Shootings raise awareness over campus security,” shows research and serious reporting fitting the topic, and interviews with police officials and others shows the writer didn’t simply go for the easy interviews. The sidebar, “Thoughts on Virginia Tech Massacre,” adds a personal touch with well-written descriptive imagery that is as emotional and heartfelt as the main story is newsy and straightforward.
THIRD PLACE: Katherine Hillier, Campus Times, University of La Verne
“The Path to India” (Parts 1 - 3)
COMMENTS: Part 3 is a strong, very poetic piece of writing. Many lines bring the images readily and powerfully to mind, while also going straight to the point. It proves the old adage, that sometimes less is more. The first two parts are solid, stream-of-consciousness pieces, almost like diary/journal entries, but Part 3 delivers a stronger focus and impact with its more thoughtful, insightful and concise lines that come from both heart and mind, rather than wordy descriptions of primarily what the eyes see.
S4 Best Sports Story
FIRST PLACE: Joseph Muldoon, The Poly Post, Cal Poly Pomona
“Midnight Soccer is Perfect Setting”
COMMENTS: Good lead. Good subject. Well written.
SECOND PLACE: Marilee Lorusso, Campus Times, University of La Verne
“Sagehens get best of Leos, 26-20”
COMMENTS: A well-constructed piece and good use of quotes.
THIRD PLACE: Galo Pesantes, Campus Times, University of La Verne
“Men’s hoops wins over Panthers”
COMMENTS: Good construction. Solid writing.
S5 Best Column
FIRST PLACE (tie): Erin Konrad, Campus Times, University of La Verne
“Sicko Made me Sick”
COMMENTS: One of things that struck me about many if not most of the submissions in this category was how trivial they were: complaining about the walk from parking structures to classrooms, the death of American culture thanks to Starbucks and iPods, and other ‘so what’ topics. I congratulate Ms. Konrad on taking on a national topic, the uninsured/underinsured in America, and tying it skillfully to the campus and its community. Healthy eighteen-year-olds might not see the need for good health insurance, but her example of the child in need of dental work his family cannot afford drives the point home without being Michael-Moore extreme. Well done.
FIRST PLACE (tie): Tom Anderson, Campus Times, University of La Verne
“War on Traffic Needs New Strategy”
COMMENTS: Again, Mr. Anderson’s piece on the pathetic state of public transportation in Southern California takes on a significant regional issue and delivers it in a readable, snappy package. It was well-structured and a pleasure to read.
SECOND PLACE (tie): Galo Pesantes, Campus Times, University of La Verne
“The Game Will Always be a Part of Me”
COMMENTS: Mr. Pesantes skillfully ties a sentimental look at his final football game with the lessons he learned about dedication, the value of teamwork, patience and the power of mental preparedness. He refutes the image of the dumb jock with this thoughtful meditation and offers universal truths we can all learn from.
SECOND PLACE (tie): Madison Steff, Campus Times, University of La Verne
“Start Your Engines - Drag Races Are Here!”
COMMENTS: This personal essay was just plain fun to read. I could feel the rumble of the top fuel dragsters thanks to the physicality of Ms. Steff’s writing, which nicely conveys the excitement of the moment. Thank you, Ms. Steff - you have given me the excuse I need to buy tickets this year.
SECOND PLACE (tie): Erin Konrad. Campus Times, University of La Verne
“Dreidels Under the Christmas Tree”
COMMENTS: Ms. Konrad did a good job of celebrating the blending of family traditions she calls "Chrismukkah", a season she says has left her twice the memories and the richer for them. I especially liked the way she ties her childhood to the optimistic adult she is today. Nicely done.
THIRD PLACE: Desiree Perez, Viewpoints, Riverside City College
“Worst Voter Turnout in 10 Years”
COMMENTS: Ms. Perez is right to castigate her classmates for not showing up at the polls, especially with a contentious national election season shaping up on the horizon (this was published May 2007), and I applaud the newspaper for taking responsibility for producing voter information material and posting it when the apathetic candidates failed to do so. I hope the paper also took student apathy to task when so few people decided to run for office in the first place. It is difficult to get people interested in voting when there are no choices and those who do chose to run don’t bother to campaign. Just ask any lonely poll worker during a parks-district or school board election!
S6 Best Editorial
FIRST PLACE: Staff, ULV Campus Times
“ULV needs new war memorial”
SECOND PLACE: Staff, ULV Campus Times
“Parking: Pay more, get less”
THIRD PLACE: Timothy Guy, Desiree Perez and Daniel Segraves, RCC Viewpoints
“The Rotella Era at RCC comes to an end”
S7 Best Page Layout
FIRST PLACE: Sabrina Jones, RCC Viewpoints
“ ‘Halo 3’ Aims for Gaming Glory”
COMMENTS: Good use of PR art along with a quote from the game.
SECOND PLACE: Staff The Poly Post
“Lifestyles - Oct. 23, 2007”
COMMENTS: Good use of headline hierarchy and consistent spacing.
THIRD PLACE: Galo Pesantes, ULV Campus Times
“Raising the Bar”
COMMENTS: Clean, logical layout with an appropriate headline treatment. Not too kitschy.
S8 Best News/Feature photo
FIRST PLACE: Khai Le, RCC Viewpoints
“Firestorm”
COMMENTS: Strong shot from the front lines of a fire. Could easily have run in a professional daily.
SECOND PLACE: Brandon Tan, The Poly Post
“Grand Piano”
COMMENTS: Could have easily won in a feature photo only category. Very well composed with strong light balance.
THIRD PLACE: Christopher Dietrich, RCC Viewpoints
“Dickens Festival”
S9 Best Sports photo
FIRST PLACE: Allen Chen, The Poly Post
“Basketball Layup”
COMMENTS: Solid, crisp action shot.
S10 Best Editorial Cartoon/Illustration
FIRST PLACE: Matt Hill, ULV Campus Times
“Soldiers’ Blogs”
COMMENTS: Thought-provoking and well spoken. This cartoon did more than enough to convey the story.
SECOND PLACE: Matt Hill, ULV Campus Times
“Join a Sorority”
THIRD PLACE: Lucio Villa, The Poly Post
“Beer Prices”
S11 Best Video News Segment
FIRST PLACE: Angela Gangi, LVTV-3, University of La Verne
“Kevin Normington Death”
COMMENTS: Solid all-around piece. Good reporting and editing.
SECOND PLACE: Yessica Acevedo and Bounroeun Lor, Inland Valley News, RCC
“Dog-toberest”
COMMENTS: A good job of interviewing subjects and telling us the story.
S12 Best Video Feature Segment
FIRST PLACE: Chelsea Sherier, Veronica Andrews, LVTV-3, University of La Verne
“Vertical Minds”
COMMENTS: Just a great job all around. Excellent use of graphics to add structure to the piece. Proof that a good feature doesn’t need an anchor personality.
SECOND PLACE: Angela Gangi, LVTV-3, University of La Verne
“Smile Girl”
THIRD PLACE: Angela Gangi, Megan Montalvo, LVTV-3, University of La Verne
“Deals for your Dollar”
S14 Best Magazine Non-Fiction Story
FIRST PLACE: Tom Anderson, La Verne Magazine, University of La Verne
“Now that’s racin’ ”
COMMENTS: A good use of the first person to show excitement and make the story a personal journey.
SECOND PLACE: Yelena Ovcharenko, La Verne Magazine, University of La Verne
“La Verne’s own renaissance woman”
COMMENTS: Great lead and an interesting woman.