HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- University of Southern Mississippi student journalists took home seven honors this past weekend at the Southeast Journalism Conference at the University of Mississippi.

Staffers from The Student Printz took five awards in the SEJC Best of the South contest and two in the convention’s onsite competition.

SEJC is an organization that includes colleges and universities in seven Southeastern states. Approximately 350 students from almost 30 schools attended the 2008 conference.

“I’m very proud of the Southern Miss students who placed in the Best of the South contest and those who participated in the onsite competition,” said Maggie Williams, adviser to the Printz. “These competitions are always tough and this year, there were some very strong competitors in virtually every category. The Printz staff did great!”

The Best of the South contest includes work done for individual newspapers during calendar year 2007, Williams said. In that competition, members of The Student Printz staff took five awards including
      - A third-place finish in the Best Web Site category for The Student Printz Online.
      - A fourth-place finish for Ashley Bryan, executive editor of The Student Printz, in the Best   Special Events Reporter category. The category for 2007 involved reporting on health issues.
      - A third-place award for Kyle Hilton in the Best News Editorial Artist/Illustrator category for a selection of his cartoons that have run in The Student Printz.
      - Sebe Dale, photo editor for The Student Printz, ranked number nine in the Best Press Photographer category.
      - Crystal Scretching, who is the graphic artist for The Student Printz, brought home the number four ranking in the Best News Graphic Designer category.

Williams, who with Honors College Dean David R. Davies, coordinated the Best of the South contest for the second year as SEJC vice presidents, said there were 36 schools competing in the Best of the South contest and a total of 367 individual entries in 22 categories.

Three Southern Miss students took part in SEJC’s onsite competition, where students attending the convention receive a writing, design or photo assignment, complete it and have their work compared and judged against other students in 15 categories. In the onsite competition, Bryan received third place in newswriting and Andy Hess, sports editor for The Student Printz, was awarded an honorable mention for his work.

“For my onsite, (sportswriting competitors) participated in a news conference with new Ole Miss football coach Houston Nutt,” Hess said. “That seemed pretty routine at first, but I realized quickly how little I know about Ole Miss football, so I had to do a lot of research before the news conference to try and go into the event with the level of knowledge I needed. It was not easy.”

Bryan said her onsite competition was equally challenging.

“This is my second time to participate in an SEJC onsite competition and it’s a daunting experience,” she said. “In my competition, we were given access to sources and provided information about a news event and then had a certain amount of time to write our stories. Deadline writing is always tough. You’re trying to make sure you have everything in just the right place in a story.”

About The University of Southern Mississippi
The University of Southern Mississippi, founded in 1910, is a comprehensive doctoral and research-extensive university fulfilling its mission of being a leading university in engaging and empowering individuals to transform lives and communities.  In a tradition of leadership for student development, Southern Miss is educating a 21st century work force providing intellectual capital, cultural enrichment and innovation to Mississippi and the world.  Southern Miss is located in Hattiesburg, Miss., with an additional campus and teaching and research sites on the Mississippi Gulf Coast; further information is found at www.usm.edu.