Vol. 19, No. 13

Dec. 2, 1999

Former editor, 'Review' selected
for national press awards

The Review and a recent UD graduate who wrote for the award-winning student publication have been recognized recently with prestigious national awards. For the fourth time since 1992, the University's independent, student-run newspaper The Review received the Associated Collegiate Press' annual Pacemaker award. The honor, given only to 23 papers each year, honors the paper as one of the top 10, nondaily collegiate newspapers in the nation. More than 100 papers competed for the awards announced in Atlanta on Oct. 30. The Pacemaker is the college equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize, and newspapers were judged based on the submission of four issues from each college. Former editor-in-chief Ryan Cormier said The Review submitted the best of each of its three sections-news, sports and features. "The staff from each section of the paper worked very hard throughout the year," he said, "which gave us many issues from which to chose." Cormier said the Associated Collegiate Press specified certain weeks for the submissions, one from the fall semester and one from the spring. The four issues were then judged on improvement and consistency, among other criteria. While good writing is a key factor in winning, luck also plays a role in a paper's chances of winning a Pacemaker, according to Dennis Jackson, English, and the director of the University's journalism program. "Like a Pulitzer, a Pacemaker-winning newspaper has to be lucky and good," he said. "It has to have important news break in its vicinity, and then it has to be good enough to cover that news smartly. " Top-notch reporters, editors and designers have been essential in the years The Review has won the Pacemaker, Jackson said. On Oct. 30, Gregory Shulas, AS '99, became the second UD journalist to win the "Reporter of the Year" honors from the Associated Collegiate Press. Shulas was recognized for his work at The Review. In the four years, the Associated Collegiate Press has celebrated the nation's best college journalist with the Reporter of the Year award, two reporters from the UD have won the prestigious title. Shulas submitted two series he had written as administrative editor of The Review-one an in-depth study on UD's relationships with sweatshops and the other on University investments. "The award reflects the energy I put into my work--the hard time, the labor and the research," the former history journalism major, said. "I didn't expect it. I was happy just to be one of the finalists. My goal was to be a journalist, not to win the award. I wanted to bring issues, topics and facts to light- things that I think should be shared and talked about in a public forum. That was my ambition. It was later that someone suggested that I submit my articles." Shulas isn't taking all of the credit however. He readily acknowledges the help of his professors, Harris Ross, Dennis Jackson and Ben Yagoda, all English faculty members in the journalism program. "They all have such good instincts as journalists and as professors," Shulas said. "Dr. Jackson would yell at me if I did something stupid, but that was the best motivator-not to be embarrassed. Prof. Yagoda is such a pro at what he does, and Dr. Ross is a wonderful counselor. " Lara Zeises, a 1997 UD graduate who wrote for The Review, was the nation's first recipient of the award in 1996. UD students have garnered other such awards this decade. In 1992, Bob Weston, who attended the University that year, won Collegiate Journalist of the Year for his on-site coverage of the Persian Gulf War for The Review. In 1993, the year she graduated from UD with a degree in English, Donna Murphy was first runner-up in the same competition for her stories on homelessness in Delaware. Shulas said he has a lot of pride not only for his work, but also for that of The Review. "I am proud to represent The Review and the University on such a national level," he said. "Journalism allows you to grow as a person, as an educated person. It's a good way to live." He now works at the Gloucester County, N.J., Times, covering the municipalities of Woodbury, Pitman, Woodbury Heights and Wenonah. -Laura Overturf