Eagle staff earns three Columbia University Press awards

NEW YORK, NY — The Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s 21st Gold Circle Awards program, its annual competition for individual achievement by student writers, editors, designers and photographers, attracted 12,930 entries from colleges, universities and secondary schools throughout the United States. At its March awards ceremony, it presented the College of Eastern Utah’s student newspaper, The Eagle, three awards, the only college in Utah to receive awards.
Entries were accepted from student newspapers, magazines, yearbooks and videos either originally printed or broadcast from November 1, 2002 through October 31, 2003. Student journalists working on these print or electronic media chose from as many as 77 available categories for individual or staff entries.
College student journalists sent 3,366 entries. A total of 683 first, second, third place or certificate of merit awards were given in the collegiate division.
The Eagle opinion/viewpoint editor, Erik Falor, won third place for layout of his viewpoints pages. Last year’s sports editor, Travis Clemens, won third place for CEU’s black and white sports-page design. Clemens is at Weber State University this year serving as the Signpost’s sports editor. Tyrone Bonner, CEU’s staff cartoonist, was awarded a certificate of merit for his “Panda Baby” comic cartoons published in The Eagle.
“The Eagle staff has entered state and regional competitions in the past, and done well. National competitions are much more competitive and the CEU staff competes against hundreds of two- and four-year colleges and universities. The winners circle for the Columbia University’s Scholastic Press Association is like a Who’s Who of prestigious colleges and universities. Newspapers from UCLA, Stanford, the University of Michigan, Arizona State University, the University of Oklahoma and University of Houston are all listed in the same competition as CEU. The Eagle represents a small school and to place in any category is prestigious,” says Dr. Susan Polster, advisor to the Eagle staff, “to place in three is a real honor.”
Representing Columbia University, Edmund J. Sullivan, CSPA director, said, “Columbia is proud to give these awards to these energetic and talented student journalists. We congratulate them on their enterprising work.”