Best Newspaper (Community Colleges)

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Best Newspaper (Community Colleges)
     In the two-year college category, it’s a changing of the guard year, with perennial powerhouse The Observer of Broward Community College, a seven-time winner, absent from the honorees. Community college publications, more than any other, suffer from the inevitable annual turnover of staff and talent. By the time editors and writers get competent, they graduate. So maintaining a vibrant press certainly remains a challenge, even with the most honored histories and talented advisors.
     With this in mind, the burning question is can The Beachcomber at Palm Beach Community College, this year’s surprise champion, maintain its current level over the next few years? A few papers like The Observer, The Source at Valencia Community College, and The Metropolis at Miami-Dade Community College-Wolfson do it almost annually. Or will it be a one-year-wonder like Brevard Community College’s Capsule two years ago?
     Until recently, The Beachcomber at Palm Beach Community College barely resembled its award-winning previous incarnations from its glory days in the 1980s. The paper hit bottom in 1998-99, when it published just three times and was a mess, both visually and editorially. This ineptitude meant negative consequences for the current crop of cub reporters. "The administration saw The Beachcomber as a joke and an embarrassment. It was on the verge of being eliminated completely," says Annett Jagiela, editor. "Because of last year’s incompetent staff, our budget was cut by $8,000 this year [from $25,000 to $17,000].
     "We had to start from the bottom up," she says. "For the first few months, we didn’t even have an advisor or a pen for our office. We started with little staff, no printer, copiers or fax machines, no supplies, and one computer that would randomly explode. The fact that we were able to produce our first issue on the first day of school was a miracle and turned a lot of heads in the administration office." As Advisor Dr. Frederick Van Dusen says, "We have a new administration here that supports The Beachcomber 100 percent. We have worked very hard to change our image of the paper and to produce the best paper possible. I feel that what we’re doing is very, very good."
     In less than two semesters, Jagiela’s tight team has resurrected The Beachcomber, turning it into a newsy and attractive tabloid connecting PBCC’s four campuses. "We want our readers to communicate, socialize, motivate, and inspire each other," she says.
     So far, Jagiela says her staff is most proud of "Angela’s Art Will Transform Your World," an article celebrating PBCC students’ extracurricular efforts. "In our school literary publications, art has been long overlooked," she says. "Students also like the entertainment page, because they want to know what’s going on in the area. They like to read the stories on local bands and radio stations, as well as the insight on PBCC’s cultural calendar. The ‘Viewpoints’ page is popular, because it’s the ultimate opportunity for everyone to let out some steam."
     To help The Beachcomber regain reader trust and interest, Jagiela says she’s been surveying and polling PBCC students to see what they like about the paper. "We’re constantly sending our ‘all-user e-mails,' which go to every staff member on campus," she says. "That’s the best way to tell them what’s going on. We also have ‘From the Blackboard,’ where we give faculty and administration the chance to reach out."
     Right now, Jagiela admits that her paper could be viewed as "pro-administrative," probably because administrators supported The Beachcomber’s revival. "We feel it is our duty to support them as long as the student’s best interest is always at heart and on their mind," she says.
     Jagiela says this year’s slashed budget still is enough to produce six papers. "But there’s not enough money to pay writers or buy necessary equipment," she says. "The editors are paid a tallied salary in the form of scholarship money at the end of each semester.
     Like the proud mother of a new baby, Jagiela beams with satisfaction over her staff’s turnaround of PBCC’s paper. "In one semester, we accomplished more than the previous staff had in over four years," she says. "We want to prevent our paper from becoming a low class, gossip-ridden and trashy tabloid. Our advisor encouraged us to use common sense and professional judgment while making editorial decisions, yet the editor maintains 100 percent artistic and decision-making authority."
     While admiring what Jagiela and her team have done so far, Florida Leader offers this constructive criticism: The Beachcomber needs to improve in its hard-news coverage. But for the short term, just having a vibrant and well-read paper is a major milestone for this college. And the future bodes well, according to Van Dusen. "We have already made arrangements for the changing of the guard here," he says. "We already have first-year students working on the paper, so we will have them for another year."

Runner-Up
     With its strong news reporting, The Patriot Press nearly grabbed first. Instead, Central Florida Community College’s paper earns runner-up honors, just as it did in the 1999 Best of Florida Schools awards and in the statewide Florida Community College Press Association competition last year. But Press editors shouldn’t feel like bridesmaids—the paper’s easily as worthy of being called number one as The Beachcomber. It’s just that The Beachcomber came so far, so fast.
     In Ocala, The Patriot Press boasts a $14,000 annual budget, and produces 1,600 copies of the paper five times each semester, says Editor Rob Campbell. "Our willingness to deal with tough issues has set a benchmark for others," says Editor Rob Campbell. "We have dealt with issues such as a racial discrimination suit against the college, the salaries of instructors, the revitalization of West Ocala, and the termination of an employee for theft."
     Campbell says his staff’s biggest improvement is increased campus readership. "When I first came here, many students didn’t even know we had a newspaper," he says. "Now, it’s not uncommon for me to overhear students discussing issues raised by our publication. This means we are accomplishing our primary goals of being a voice of the student body and informing the public."
     Campbell says he’s most proud of the paper’s "The Death of Democracy" article. "It was a quote-driven investigative story that illustrated the lack of participation in Marion County residents ages 18 to 24 in the electoral process," he says. "Many students commented on the disparity between the participation of different age voting groups in elections. We’re building a reputation for advocacy and discussion of issues important to students that is tempered by comprehensive and balanced reporting."

Honorable Mention
     One of the state’s meatier tabloids, The Corsair at Pensacola Junior College, with a $40,000 annual budget, four editors, and 20 staff members, produces 4,000 bi-weekly copies, according to Advisor Thom Botsford. "Our article on cheating contained information that surprised some students and faculty," Botsford says. "Teachers who read the story may now be more careful, and student readers learned about new resources that can be used in honest or dishonest ways." Botsford also says the "Champs & Chumps" sports column and "Random Remarks," featuring photos and comments of 16 students, are the paper’s most popular sections.
     Recent Corsair editions have covered parking issues, the new honors program, and students without health insurance, says Julie Hampton, editor. "By far our biggest improvement has been the establishment of a reasonable production schedule," she says. "We refuse to work all hours of the night as previous staffs did. The key to having a steady production schedule is organization and time management. By having our deadline day not crunched into 16 straight hours of work, we have more time to improve The Corsair. We can produce a better layout, use photography more effectively, and editor stories to make them reader-friendly." Florida Leader says, "Amen to that."
     Last fall, Hampton says The Corsair got blasted for its cover story, "Brew Your Own Beer, an alternative to corporate beers," a guide on how to make beer at home. "Though the article didn’t in any way encourage students to drink, some readers believed the subject was inappropriate for a college audience," Hampton says. "The critics assumed that most students are underage. In fact, half of all PJC students are 28 or older. We didn’t intend to promote binge drinking, drinking and driving, or any other kind of muse." In hindsight, Hampton says she might have reconsidered the article’s prominent placement. "Our placing the story on the cover was a mistake," she says. "We didn’t realize that some readers would misinterpret the message."

Honorable Mention
     After "retiring" from his hall-of-fame advising career at Valencia Community College, Advisor Tom Pierce has revived Seminole Community College's long-dormant campus paper program. After a 10-year hiatus because of a college president who didn’t believe in the value of a vibrant college press, The Scribe is back with a vengeance, boasting a $14,000 budget and 12 student editors, including Editor in Chief Kelly Icardi, and a monthly circulation of 3,000.
     "The story that had the most impact this year was the arrest of a security guard and former employee for a series of computer thefts over a year’s time," Pierce says. "The most popular features are the columns by our news editor, ‘Babcock Babblings,’ and our sports editor, ‘Carlos’ Calls,’ both of which are satirical, brash, outrageous, bizarre, quirky, and funny."
     According to Icardi, SCC students appreciate The Scribe because of her staff’s attention to detail and article variety. "We have improved greatly on the quality of our stories, our layout is cleaner, and we have more content than ever before," she says. "Our visually appealing pages and well-balanced layouts are a testament to the seasoning of our staff."

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