Chimes Wins Top Awards

Chimes, the student newspaper for Calvin College, has won nine College Newspaper Contest awards from the Michigan Collegiate Press Association, a journalism group that provides academic advisers to Michigan's college and university newspapers.

This year's total of nine awards bested last year's seven awards for Chimes.

The Chimes is in Division 2 for the annual competition, and competes against such student newspapers as the Collegian at Hillsdale College, The Herald at Cornerstone University, The Oakland Post at Oakland University and the Ferris Torch at Ferris State University.

"I would say it was a pleasure and a surprise to win so many (awards) because they actually took away categories this year—and they only allowed one entrant per person per category," said Stephen Mulder, last year’s editor-in-chief of Chimes.

Among its awards, Chimes collected first place awards for its online edition; a news story titled "Student Sits Next to Terror Suspect on Christmas Flight" by Emma Slager; feature page design by Katie Hall and Jackson Hall for “ABC . . . Grand Rapids," and best original cartoon for "Insomnia" by Lauren Kelly.

The paper earned second place honors in investigative reporting for "Festival of Faith and Writing Celebrates 20 Years" by Matthew Koh and for "Falling Leaves" an in-house promotional ad by Mulder.

"About half of them were won by people who had graduated, and the other half of them were won by students who are still on staff," said current editor-in-chief Amy Surbatovich. "I’m really proud of the work they all did." Surbatovich is optimistic that the honors will keep coming.

"I totally hope that we are going to beat Stephen Mulder's score," she said, laughing.

"I hope she does," Mulder responded.

The Michigan Collegiate Press Association is devoted to the following objectives:

• To stimulate development and greater interest in journalism at Michigan's colleges and universities;
• To strive to raise the standards of student journalism;
• To create a spirit of cooperation, collegiality and fellowship among members;
• To promote the essential role of a student press at institutions of higher learning; and
• To defend free speech and student press rights, to promote open and responsive government and to foster an informed citizenry.