Arrow award

The Southeast Missouri State University student newspaper has taken on a different look over the past year-plus. In August 2011, the university and Rust Communications, the parent company to the Southeast Missourian, announced a partnership. The goal was for the Southeast Missourian to provide student news oversight for what was formerly known as the Capaha Arrow, now referred to as the Arrow. Also as part of the agreement was an overhaul of the student-produced news website.

The partnership has been a good one, and recently the Arrow won its first award since the transition, taking fifth place in the Associated Collegiate Press Best in Show competition for its website. The award was given in October at the National College Media Convention in Chicago.

The Arrow (www.southeastarrow.com) was in the Level 3 category, a classification for papers of universities with an enrollment of 10,000 to 20,000 students. The four student news websites ahead of the Arrow were all from larger universities. First prize went to the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, which tells you something about the competition. In a way, the Arrow staff's accomplishment is like making the Sweet 16 in the NCAA basketball tournament.

This is a dynamic time for the news business, with digital operations taking a prominent role. The Arrow students are gaining valuable experience, learning a good deal through faculty instruction and practical experience. Their enthusiasm has been fun to watch, and the product has seen significant improvements.

We applaud the students, faculty, content adviser Rachel Crader, Southeast Missourian general manager Mark Kneer and faculty adviser Dr. Tamara Buck for their efforts. We look forward to more recognition for the students' hard work going forward.