Student Activities
December 21, 2018
By Josie Hinke '22
On December 3, the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) announced The Beacon, the University of Portland’s student-run digital news publication, was one of 25 collegiate digital publications to be named finalists for a Crown Award for overall excellence in student journalism. While Beacon staff members have won individual awards from the CSPA in the past, this year’s Crown Award is the first time the CSPA has recognized the publication as a whole.
The CSPA is owned and operated by Columbia University in New York City. Crown Finalists are actual winners, not nominees. Some will be announced as Gold Crowns; the rest are Silver Crowns. Final results will be announced and presented at the CSPA ceremonies in March 2019.
“Ultimately, awards just speak to how much time and effort the staff members put in to The Beacon. The awards are a group effort. We have around 30 people on staff and each staff member puts in many hours to make The Beacon what it is.” says Editor in Chief, Hannah Sievert (UP ’19) “We owe much of our accomplishments to Nancy Copic, The Beacon's advisor, who has taught and mentored all of us in news writing and reporting. The Beacon is a special community to us on campus and the awards speak to how we've grown and adjusted to a digital age of journalism in the past few years.”
"Over the past few years, student journalists at The Beacon have really put UP on the map, in terms of student media,” added Nancy Copic, Assistant Director of Student Media. “As their adviser, I'm so gratified when they receive national recognition for their hard work."
The Crown Award is the most recent of a string of award recognitions for the student journalists. Earlier in the fall, The Beacon was honored in the College Media Association Pinnacle Awards and ended the 2017-2018 academic year receiving national Mark of Excellence Awards from the Society of Professional Journalists.
In October, Beacon staffers won three First Place awards from the College Media Association. Current Beacon Editor in Chief Hannah Sievert won First Place for Feature Writing. Multimedia Editor Annika Gordon won First Place for Sports News Photo. Former Editor in Chief Rachel Rippetoe (UP ’18) won First Place for Editorial Writing. Rippetoe also won Second Place for General News Writing. More details about these awards can be found at https://upbeaconstaff.wordpress.com/.
In May, the Society of Professional Journalists awarded The Beacon three national Mark of Excellence Awards. 2017-18 Multimedia Reporter Rachel Ramirez (UP '18) won First Place for Online Feature Reporting. Former Sports Editor Ben Arthur (UP ‘17) won First Place for Sports Reporting. Hannah Sievert took First Place in Feature Writing. The Beacon was also a national finalist in the categories of General News Reporting, Column Writing, and Feature Photography.
The Beacon has been the “Student Voice of the University of Portland” since 1935. All content is assigned, produced, edited and managed by students. To subscribe to The Beacon’s weekly e-newsletter, go here.
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