Journalism Students Earn Regional Acclaim

The Arka Tech, Arkansas Tech University’s student newspaper, won four awards at the 2018 Southeastern Journalism Conference Feb. 15-17 at Harding University in Searcy.

This year’s event included more than 400 entries from 42 schools and seven states, all competing for Best of the South honors. Entries were required to have been published in 2017.

The Arka Tech’s Gabbi Calabrese placed second for “Best Arts and Entertainment Writer” and Noah Delashaw placed eighth for “Best Sports Writer.”

The Arka Tech website, maintained by webmaster Bruce Thomas, placed third for “Best College Website.” The Arka Tech newspaper, led by co-editor-in-chiefs Amber Appleby and Amber Quaid, placed sixth for “Best College Newspaper.”

“We have been members of SEJC since 2012 and this is the first time we have placed in the Best College Newspaper category,” said Tommy Mumert, assistant professor of journalism and faculty adviser of the Arka Tech. “I am proud of the efforts of these students who placed in the competition and am proud of all the students who contribute each week to the Arka Tech.”

Students attending the conference participated in breakout sessions presented by a number of professional journalists. The keynote speaker was Sonia Nazario, who won the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing in 2003.