In Brief 515 MAGAZINE STAFF CELEBRATES AWARD, LAUNCH The 2001 edition of 515 magazine placed second in the Region VII Society of Pro-fessional Journalists contest. Photographer Lynn Walters, JO'01, swept the photo categories, picking up a feature photography award (photo essay category), first place for "Capital with a View," second place for "The City's Sweet Spot" photo illustration, first place for "Paradise Found" and second place for "Nature Watch." The 515 staff celebrated the launch of the 2002 edition with a party at Drake President David and Madeline Maxwell's home. 515 is a magazine produced entirely by Drake senior magazine students and funded by the Meredith Corporation. The launch party was attended by several Meredith executives who were thanked for their 75-year support of Drake, including funding the magazine since 1977. SJMC students celebrate with Dean Edwards, right, at the launch party held for the new edition of the student-produced 515 magazine. KNOT MAGAZINE WINS PRESTIGIOUS PAPPAJOHN COMPETITION Knot magazine, a national alternative online magazine founded in November 1999 by senior journalism and music major Jennie Dorris and senior information systems major Jim Casey, won the Pappajohn Business Plan Competition in January. Knot took home a total of $15,000 in grant money for their business plan which detailed how editors Dorris and Casey plan to move their publication from a Web 'zine to a printed magazine this fall. Over the past two years, the Web site, knotmag.com, has featured work by more than 100 writers from across the nation, producing more than 350 stories. Still in the early stages of formulating their small publication business, Casey credits the grants with boosting confidence and financial support in their project, allowing the staff to mature into a young business and apply for a small business loan. In June, Knot magazine moved to Boulder, CO, where the staff will produce their alternative magazine on a weekly basis. "This spring, we are in our pre-start-up phase, which includes market research, incorporation, assembling a board of advisors and researching additional capital opportunities," said Casey. "We are also in the process of assembling a team based at Drake that will continue to operate the Web site through next year." DOCUMENTARY PRODUCTION CONCENTRATION TO BE OFFERED The Drake Board of Trustees approved a new concentration -- documentary production -- that will primarily serve students in history, English and other College of Arts and Science programs. The new documentary concentration serves primarily non-SJMC students who seek the practical courses needed to plan, write and produce a professional documentary production. The concentration consists of five existing electronic media offerings plus a new senior capstone that would first be offered in the spring of 2004. That capstone remains to be designed. Students electing to complete the concentration will work with a secondary adviser in the SJMC. Four SJMC faculty members, all with professional broadcasting experience, teach the courses that comprise the documentary concentration. MARATHON RAISES MONEY FOR PRSSA by Jeremy Geppert, features editor for the Times-Delphic The Olmsted student lounge was a place of passion Feb. 14 when the Drake chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America and KDCS Radio teamed up to sponsor the first annual Makeout Marathon, a fundraiser for PRSSA. The Marathon was broadcast live over KDCS. Couples paid $5 each to enter and were eligible to win prizes for kissing around the clock. "The contest came down to two couples and after five hours, we decided to have them play a round of know-your-mate," said Tony Lorino, a junior journalism student who is president of KDCS. "If not, they may have been connected all night." The Marathon was a success, raising nearly $100 for PRSSA and drawing good publicity for KDCS. The two organizations plan to make the Marathon a tradition. EUROPEAN EDUCATION Kira Wade and Adrienne McFarland (not pictured) were among 15 former and current Drake students visiting Prague over winter break to participate in a model European Union simulation. Wade and McFarland acted as the press corps during the simulation. ELECTRONIC MEDIA STUDENTS ATTEND SPORTSCASTER'S CAMP Matt Bolger, a junior radio/TV major, and Eric Duffee, a junior broadcast news major, participated in the sixth annual WUEV/Missouri Valley Conference Sports Broadcasting Workshop in March. The workshop gave participants the opportunity to learn about sportscasting as well as practice their skills during the Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Tournament in St. Louis. Professional sportscasters spoke to the students, offering advice and insight about how to improve play-by-play descriptions and how to make it in the world of sportscasting. During the tournament, students broadcast to a worldwide audience on the University of Evansville's Web site. Drake's opening game was also streamed live on KDCS. Students provided play-by-play and color commentary for the entire slate of tournament games. JOURNALISM DAYS A SUCCESS The SJMC hosted the second annual Journalism Days, Feb. 20-22, sponsored by the Journalism Council. Events included a job fair and resume critique, a panel featuring local media experts, media tours and numerous class guests who spoke about how to get and keep a job, as well as what the "real world" of professional journalism is like. The panelists included Melanie Posey of WHO-TV; Mike Glover, an AP Statehouse reporter; Jerry Parkin, director of state and government relations for John Deere; Donna Tweeten, executive director of Meyocks & Priebe Advertising, and Connie Wimer, president/publisher of Business Record Publications. SPJ HOSTS REVERSE PRESS CONFERENCE ON RACIAL PROFILING The Society of Professional Journalists hosted its third annual reverse press conference, "Racial Profiling and the Media" on April 4. Des Moines Mayor Preston Daniels moderated the forum, which featured panelists Michelle Parker, KCCI NewsChannel 8 reporter; Randy Essex, Des Moines Register metro news editor; Rob Borsellino, Des Moines Register columnist; Dolph Pulliam, Drake University director of community outreach; Ammertte Deibert, Grand View College sociology professor; and Sgt. Bruce Elrod, media liaison for the Des Moines Police Department. The reverse press conference gave the public a rare opportunity to put local media personalities and authorities under the microscope. Together, the panel and audience members explored the impact of racial profiling on the greater Des Moines community and how to overcome its effects. "I think it was an incredible evening for everyone who attended," said senior magazine major Dawn Campbell. "It's not often that non-minority students reach out and recognize real issues affecting minorities on Drake's campus and in the local community." The reverse press conference is part of Project Watchdog, a national program of SPJ. Project Watchdog encourages the public to stay informed about civic matters through responsible media coverage and, above all, promotes a free and ethical press. DRAKE HISTORICAL MOMENT The Times-Delphic responded to the attack on Pearl Harbor in December of 1941 by dropping the publication to one issue a week. The tragedy and ensuing declaration of war resulted in reduced and cancelled advertising, causing the T-D to cut back from its usual daily run. Yet the T-D found resources to continue publication through the summer break in order to keep students abreast of wartime issues.
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