Twelve undergraduate students and one graduate student from the University of Tennessee at Martin, including members of The Pacer and WUTM 90.3 FM “The Hawk” staffs, attended the 2023 Southeast Journalism Conference, Feb. 9-11, in Thibodaux, Louisiana. The group earned several awards from the annual SEJC Best of the South competition and the on-site championship competition.
Best of the South awards were submitted and judged prior to the convention. Those recognized were:
- Antonia Steele, Ashland City, ranked fourth for College Journalist of the Year
- Sarah Johnson, Germantown, ranked first for Best Graphic Designer/Data Journalist
- Dylan Ingram, Martin, ranked fourth for Best College Press Photographer
- Callie Stone, Lynnville, ranked third for Best Radio News Reporter
- Davis Gregory, Knoxville, ranked third for Best College Radio Journalist
- WUTM, ranked first for Best College Audio Program
- WUTM, ranked first for Best College Radio Station in the South
Students who attended the conference competed in several on-site competitions throughout the weekend. Those who received awards were:
- Sarah Cornwell, Benton, Kentucky; Mekenzie Coleman, Jackson; and Jerrianna Somerville, Bartlett, ranked third among Public Relations teams
- Trenton Michon, Chapmansboro, tied for third in the Current Events Quiz
- Bethany Collins, Dresden, received honorable mention for Opinion-Editorial Writing
- Abby Coe, Chapel Hill, ranked third in Copy Editing
- Clarissa Spitzley, Adams, ranked second in Page Layout and Design
“I am extremely proud of these results,” said Dr. Richard Robinson, radio station faculty adviser. “This is solely the result of our students’ hard work in providing our listening audience with great radio programming.”
“The Pacer student newspaper staff all work diligently every day to provide information to the UT Martin campus and wider community, especially via our website, www.thepacer.net. It’s wonderful to see my students get the recognition they so richly deserve for their effort,” said Tomi McCutchen, Pacer faculty adviser and UT Martin’s SEJC faculty delegate.
“It’s also critical for students to attend conferences in their discipline and learn from other students and journalism professionals. The awards are great, but the education and experience are priceless,” McCutchen said.
The Southeast Journalism Conference works to encourage greater interest in student journalism and create closer ties among journalism schools in the southeast United States. For questions about UT Martin’s participation in SEJC, contact McCutchen at 731-881-7558 or tmccutch@utm.edu.
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