EMU Student Publications Win National Collegiate Press Awards

YPSILANTI - The “Eastern Echo” Eastern Michigan University’s student newspaper, and “Cellar Roots,” EMU’s literary and arts magazine, received Pacemaker Awards for general excellence from the Associated Collegiate Press (ACP). The Pacemaker is college journalism’s highest award, comparable to the Pulitzer Prize awarded to professional journalists, and is presented annually at the ACP convention.

This is the second year in a row the “Echo” has won a Pacemaker for general excellence, and the third Pacemaker they’ve earned in the past two years. In 2002, the staff was also awarded a Pacemaker for their online edition, www.easternecho.com. This year’s Pacemaker is the eighth “Cellar Roots” has earned in the last 10 years.

The “Echo” and “Cellar Roots” are produced by the department of student media at EMU. Staff members include more than 100 students who work as editors, designers, photographers, sales representatives, reporters and office assistants. All content and editorial decisions are made by the students.

“The long hours and the stress of the deadlines are all a part of the job, and the award is a great perk at the end of a long year,” said Kevin Devine, director of student media. “The great thing about our journalists, however, is that award or no award, they’d still be here hammering out the Echo every day.”

Eastern Michigan University is a public, comprehensive metropolitan university that offers programs in the arts, sciences and professions. EMU prepares students with the intellectual skills and practical experiences to succeed in their careers and lives, and to be better citizens.

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