SCJ ACTIVITIES: WHAT WE DO

The National Contest

The Society annually conducts a national contest for which awards are made. This is the only college media competition judged exclusively by professionals in the field. The contest is designed to stimulate interest in various newspaper, yearbook, magazine, and broadcast categories. New categories include video yearbook and chapter newsletter. All local chapters are eligible to participate, and individual students may participate only if they are members of the Society. Rules and regulations are simple and easy to comply with, and information about the contest is sent to the local chapters just prior to the contest deadline, which is usually December 15.

The Annual Chapter Awards

The Society annually gives two other awards for significant chapter accomplishment during the year. Recipients of both honors are given attractive plaques to commemorate the award. The deadline for annual chapter awards is January 15.

The Edward E. McDonald Award
This annual honor is given to the Outstanding SCJ Chapter of the year. The award’s namesake was instrumental in promoting collegiate journalism nationwide. So great was “Mac’s” dedication that he spent 15 years of his retirement working as National Secretary Treasurer of Pi Delta Epsilon, the predecessor of SCJ. His goal was to foster higher-quality journalism on college campuses, and he was thus honored with the memorial in 1971.

National Student Journalist of the Year Award
This award, instituted in 1994, honors an SCJ student chapter member who has represented the spirit of the First Amendment by making an outstanding contribution to student journalism. This award carries a $500 scholarship made possible by the National Dean’s List.

The Sheridan Barker Adviser of the Year Award
The Barker Award, funded by the past SCJ President for whom it is named, is awarded annually to a longtime SCJ advisor who advances college media through devotion to press freedom.

The Louis Ingelhart SCJ Freedom of Expression Award
The Inglehart Award recognizes the active student or adviser, SCJ member or individual, who contributes to freedom of expression at the risk of personal and/or professional cost. It is awarded on occasion, not yearly.

Annual Awards to Individuals
The National Council empowers every chapter to recognize individual achievement.

The Medal of Merit
A Medal of Merit award was established by the National Council in 1950 to reward outstanding contributions by collegiate journalists and to recognize outstanding men and women who have made significant contributions to collegiate communications. The Medal of Merit can be obtained by local chapters for $12 from the National Headquarters. Each chapter may award only one medal per year.

The Certificate of Merit
The Certificate of Merit may be awarded to members who have made significant contributions to campus media. This award should be made for real distinction and is not mandatory for chapters each year. It should be presented in recognition of superior work. There is no charge.

Scholarly Grants
In 2003, the National Council voted to fund scholarship that had a direct impact on student journalism. The $500 SCJ grant is available to advisors and students of SCJ chapters. The scholarship must concentrate on the study of student journalism, and the author must provide a news release detailing the results to the National Office within two years of receiving the grant. Additional details can be obtained by contacting the National Executive Office.

Membership Privileges

The Collegiate Journalist (TCJ)
The Society annually publishes The Collegiate Journalist, an online magazine designed to address the issues of the day faced by student media, to suggest ways to improve their performance, and to report the activities of the national and local SCJ organizations. www.scj.us/tcj

The SCJ Newsletter: The Reporter
The National Office produces and distributes a newsletter to the chapters on a regular basis. Its purpose is to report on the decisions and events of the National Council, as well as to bring to the chapters’ attention other activities or announcements of interest. Regular features include news from the National Office, information on the Student Press Law Center, and initiation/ chartering statistics. Local chapters are encouraged to submit articles or activity updates to the Executive Director for possible inclusion.

The SCJ Website
The SCJ Website was launched in 1998. The site is located at www.scj.us and provides a forum in which the Executive Director and other SCJ officials may publish updated news and events. Names and locations of active chapters, links to chapter Websites (when available), and contact information for chapters are available. Serving as a promotional arm of the SCJ executive office, the SCJ Website offers student journalists applications for membership and criteria for starting a new chapter at their own school. Additionally, the Website provides access to electronic versions of The Reporter, annual contest rules, and the SCJ constitution. The webmaster for the SCJ Website is appointed by, and reports to, the National Executive Director. All additions, deletions, and changes to the SCJ Website are approved by the National Executive Director.

The National Convention
The chapters of SCJ meet in convention biennially to conduct the business of SCJ, to discuss their chapter activities, and to participate in seminars and workshops in journalism. Delegates from each attending chapter form the governing body of SCJ and meet during the convention to decide SCJ national policy, to establish goals for the next biennium, and to elect its National Officers.

College Media Days
Universities that have an SCJ chapter and wish to host a conference that focuses on student media issues are eligible for a $250 stipend. In order to qualify for the stipend the chapter must complete a form which can be obtained from the National Office or downloaded from the SCJ Website (www.scj.us). The $250 stipend will be awarded at the discretion of the National Executive Director.

Chapter Projects
Each local chapter should develop a number of projects which it annually supports or which it occasionally promotes for the betterment of its membership and its college or university community. The following is a list of projects which could be implemented or which may suggest other projects that could be adopted.

• Sponsor a banquet or awards program on SCJ Founders’ Day, Dec. 11.
• Cooperate with nearby high schools to interest prospective college students in journalism.
• Bring outside speakers of prominence to address the chapter or student body.
• Host a College Media Day.
• Conduct a journalism clinic for freshmen working on campus publications and media.
• Direct the publishing of student directories, handbooks, and calendars for the year.
• Conduct an advertising survey of the campus.
• Conduct reader interest surveys on the campus.
• Urge the creation of a media board to help encourage campus student media.
• Sponsor a campus visual arts club.
• Set up journalism exhibits for special campus occasions such as homecoming.
• Establish and maintain a journalism laboratory.
• Promote more journalism courses in the college curriculum.
• Offer prizes for freshman and sophomore journalists.
• Arrange inspection and field trips to newspaper plants, publishing houses, and local radio and television stations.
• Send out an annual publication to the high schools in the area, promoting the college and its publications.
• Eliminate undergraduate politics from the elections for staff positions on campus publications.
• Conduct regional meetings and/or workshops for high school publications.
• Establish and maintain a journalism library.
• Launch a campus chapter SCJ newsletter.
• Set up an SCJ electronic bulletin board.
• Invite local professional journalists to serve on the chapter’s advisory board.
• Form a regional or special interest group of SCJ chapters and exchange papers.

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