A&M-Commerce Wins Big at TIPA with Ten Awards

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Fifteen students representing the A&M-Commerce student newspaper, The East Texan, won ten on-site contest awards at the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association (TIPA) Conference, which took place in Dallas on March 21-24. The ten awards were a program best and they finished the conference with second place in their division for ‘Best of Show.'

More than 500 attendees represented 43 colleges and universities at the conference, participating in 30 on-site contests and 65 workshops conducted by media professionals and faculty advisers from across Texas.

“Our students were in competition with students from institutions across the state and displayed confidence and skills necessary to compete on this high level,” said Fred Stewart, Student Publications Advisor and Executive Director of TIPA. “It shows our students worked very hard to achieve these goals and earn this recognition.”

TIPA is the oldest state collegiate press association in the nation, and has grown to become one of the largest and most well-respected collegiate groups in the country. During the annual convention, students participate in magazine, radio, television, online, yearbook, and newspaper contests.

The East Texan newspaper alumni who presented workshops included: Caleb Slinkard, editor, Norman (Okla.) Transcript editor; Amy Alexander, PR director, Richardson Chamber of Commerce; and Rick Mann, newspaper editor.

East Texas State alumni were well represented with Gentry Little, radio play-by-play broadcaster. Robert Muilenburg, adviser at Del Mar College, was elected faculty vice president of TIPA. Mandy Smith, faculty adviser for The Eagle Newspaper at Northeast Texas Community College, was awarded Overall Excellence in their division.

TIPA was privileged to have distinguished guests from the Dallas Metroplex press who presented workshops including: Mike Wilson, editor of The Dallas Morning News; Stella Chavez of KERA; Tom Fox, a Pulitzer Prize photographer, and more, including speakers from FOX4 in Dallas, WFAA in Dallas, the Houston Chronicle, ESPN, the Frisco RoughRiders, Dallas Observer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and the Dallas Business Journal.

2018 A&M-Commerce TIPA Winners

2nd B.J. Laudermilk Radio Announcing – English

3rd Keila Whitaker News Photo

HM Christian Aleman News Writing – Spanish

1st Todd Kleiboer Headlines

2nd Brittany Beans PR Crisis Management

HM Kylah Roach PR Release Writing

2nd Eva Morales Radio Announcing – Spanish

1st Ricky Moser Radio News Writing

3rd Ricky Moser TV Sports Writing

2nd Eva Morales TV Announcing – Spanish

Christian Aleman, co-editor of The East Texan, was re-elected Student President

Todd Kleiboer, co-editor of The East Texan, was re-elected Student Vice President of TIPA.