Student Organization Of The Month Spj

The Society of Professional Journalists have been hard at work this semester as they’ve toured university and professional newsrooms, attended conferences and networked with professionals. Find out what they’ve been up to, and how you can be a part of the fun!

Organization Name: Texas State Society of Professional Journalists

Recent events:

• Excellence in Journalism Convention in Anaheim, California: Our President, Jordan Gass-Poore’ and VP Katee Boyd, attended the Excellence in Journalism National SPJ Conference in Anaheim, Calif. last month, where they met professionals from all over the country and mingled with celebrities, such as Eva Longoria and Benjamin Bratt. Not to mention, a free trip to Disneyland! We are excited to announce that Texas State won Region 8 Student Chapter of the Year for 2012-2013, over all other schools in Texas and Oklahoma. Our goal this year is to not only take home that title again, but to win the National Student Chapter of the year. We hope to accept this award in Nashville, Tenn. where next year’s conference will be held.
• September meeting: For our first event of the semester, we toured the offices of The University Star and KTSW.

Meeting times/location:
We are trying to keep our meetings fresh and flexible to our members, so we’re trying something new this year. We are planning to steer clear of the typical once-a-month meeting and instead gear them toward events and gatherings that promote networking and interaction amongst members and professionals. Because of this, we do not have a set time and location each month that we meet. If prospective members are interested in knowing more about our events, they can follow us on twitter @txstspj or “like” us on Facebook at Texas State Society of Professional Journalists. They can also send us an email at texasstatespj@gmail.com, and we will add them to our mailing list. They should also be able to spot our flyers around campus.

Plans for the future:
In October, we will be attending an event at Trinity University in San Antonio. In observance of the 40th anniversary of Watergate, journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, who won a Pulitzer Prize for their reporting on the scandal, will discuss, “Inside the White House: From Nixon to Obama” at Trinity’s 2013 Distinguished Lecture Series. The event will be on Tuesday, Oct. 29, in Laurie Auditorium, at 7:30 p.m.

This semester, we will be touring the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung’s offices and printing press. We will also be setting up networking opportunities with professionals in our members fields of interest, so they can mingle and engage with them in a comfortable, non-intimidating environment. We plan on asking a professional to have a resume critique session, so that members can bring in their resume and get advice.

We will also sign up for Bobcat Build in the spring semester in order to give back to the community as an organization.

Officers:
President: Jordan Gass-Poore’
Vice President: Katee Boyd
Secretary/Treasurer: Catherine O’hara
Membership/Recruitment: Haley House
Social Media: Erin Cantu
Photographer: Kim Sabatino
Fundraising Chair: Rachel Miller
Fundraising Committee: Virginia Alves and Nicole Barrios

Web Resources:
Email: texasstatespj@gmail.com
Facebook: Texas State Society of Professional Journalists
Twitter: @txstspj
Instagram: @txst_spj