Everything Nac

Intended to offer admitted students a unique and personalized look at campus life, Stephen F. Austin State University will host its inaugural on-campus Axe’cepted Student Event May 1 and is inviting the Nacogdoches community to join in welcoming guests to the oldest town in Texas.

The Axe’cepted Student Event will provide new undergraduates admitted for the upcoming fall semester a full-day slate of comprehensive sessions to help orient them to SFA and life in East Texas.

“We mean it when we say we are deeply committed to providing high-impact, experiential learning for all SFA students,” said SFA President Scott Gordon. “That promise starts immediately after a student is accepted and becomes a future Lumberjack. Immersion in university life through hands-on experiences will be an integral part of our Axe’cepted Student Event as our new Lumberjacks spend a full day learning about all SFA has to offer.”

For years, SFA has hosted regional Axe’cepted events and, for the past year, has held those events in virtual formats. University officials are excited to be able to move the Axe’cepted Student Event on campus.

“We know how powerful a live, on-campus experience can be,” said Emily Jefferson, enrollment coordinator in the SFA Office of Admissions. “We also knew we needed to welcome students to their new home in a big way. Hosting this event on campus will give students a glimpse of what they can experience during Orientation, as well as when classes begin in August.”

While also introducing them to university life, a crucial part of the event is acquainting future Lumberjacks and their guests to the Nacogdoches community.

“Nacogdoches truly becomes a home away from home for many of our Lumberjacks, and we want our incoming students to see that support from our community,” Jefferson said.

Nacogdoches businesses and partners are encouraged to join the Axe’cepted Student Event in the following ways:

Serve as a day-of volunteer (check-in assistance, providing directions, greeters, etc.)
Provide SFA swag bag goodies (coupons, flyers, etc.)
Host a table at the Lumberjack Resource Fair for students and guests to visit during event check-in

The Nacogdoches Chamber of Commerce and Visit Nacogdoches (formerly the Nacogdoches Convention and Visitors Bureau) as well as several alumni-owned businesses have signed on as early sponsors.

“In the late 90s, I worked for Residence Life at SFA; and in 2016, my oldest child chose to attend SFA. I know firsthand the tremendous job the university does in programming for its students,” said Sherry Morgan, Visit Nacogdoches executive director. “And if the pandemic showed us anything, it demonstrated how vital our student residents are to this local economy. Investments made in strengthening the bonds among SFA, the city and the county will be beneficial for all parties concerned.”

The event will begin at noon May 1 in Johnson Coliseum on the SFA campus. A Lumberjack Resource Fair will be ongoing from noon until 1:15 p.m. inside the coliseum, where SFA and Nacogdoches groups and businesses will have information booths set up to chat with future Lumberjacks and their guests.

Following an opening welcome, come-and-go events will run from 2 to 4 p.m. in locations across campus.

Local partners interested in volunteering during the inaugural Axe’cepted Student Event may email Janet McLeroy at mcleroyjanet@sfasu.edu.

By Christine Broussard, marketing communications coordinator at Stephen F. Austin State University.

Stephen F. Austin State University student journalists recently received 17 awards from the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association for their work on campus student publications.

The Stone Fort yearbook staff members received eight honors for their 2020 volume, including first-place awards in the cover design and photo story categories. The Pine Log student newspaper staff members garnered nine awards for content they produced during the 2020 calendar year.

Last year was especially challenging for SFA student publications as the COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted almost every aspect of university life, including how student journalists gather and report the news, according to Amy Roquemore, SFA director of student publications and divisional media. Simultaneously, The Pine Log staff members were navigating a transition from weekly print editions to a new, online-only format, which happened earlier than planned when the campus shut down.

“I am always proud when our students are recognized for the valuable work they do, but these TIPA accolades are even more impressive when you consider everything that happened — and didn’t happen — throughout the past year,” Roquemore said. “Our students just kept working through each obstacle they faced, and I think they are now looking back at what they have accomplished despite all those challenges and realizing how much they have grown as individuals and as journalists. The awards are just icing on the cake.”

Russell Zahradnik, editor-in-chief of the 2020 Stone Fort yearbook, has graduated from SFA and is now working as a graphic designer in Houston.

“It is truly an honor to have competed against the best college programs and been recognized by influential judges in my industry,” Zahradnik said. “I’m so happy to have been a part of this amazing staff and so grateful for the opportunity to be nominated for awards like these. This project meant so much to me, which makes being recognized by TIPA even more meaningful.”

Because the last print deadline for the 2020 Stone Fort yearbook was in February of that year, the pandemic is not even mentioned in its pages.

“In a way, the 2020 yearbook is a 304-page time capsule of what campus life was like before COVID-19,” Roquemore said. “Suffice it to say, the 2021 yearbook our students have been working on for the past year is going to look and feel very different. Like our newspaper students, our yearbook staff members are doing an incredible job of chronicling a unique time in the history of our university.”

Current Pine Log Editor-in-Chief Meredith Janning of Centerville said the experience of leading the student newspaper staff members through two tumultuous semesters has been both challenging and rewarding in ways she never expected.

“I am so proud of our staff members for all of the great work they’ve done this year,” said Janning, who is graduating in May with a bachelor’s degree in mass communication and plans to begin working on her master’s degree in publishing at SFA in the fall.

“Our writers, editors, photographers, videographers and everyone involved have worked so hard through the stress of going digital, as well as the stress of the pandemic, and it has all been worth it. The Pine Log staff members deserve this recognition from TIPA and so much more.”

In typical years, TIPA announces award winners during a spring convention where college journalists from across the state gather to network, develop their skills and participate in on-site competitions. Both the 2020 and 2021 events were canceled due to the pandemic, but Roquemore said she is hopeful SFA students will be able to attend the conference now being planned for spring 2022.

Established in 1909 at Baylor University, TIPA is the largest and oldest collegiate press association in the United States. The organization works to recognize excellence in campus media and open channels of communication and cooperation among student media programs at two- and four-year colleges and universities in Texas.

The following is a complete listing of SFA’s recent TIPA awards:

Stone Fort yearbook

First place, cover design — Russell Zahradnik, former editor-in-chief

First place, photo story — Cameron Keplinger, photo editor

Second place, photo story — LaShauna Bell, former photo editor

Third Place, inside news spread — Russell Zahradnik, former editor-in-chief; Cameron Keplinger, photo editor

Third place, static information graphic — Russell Zahradnik, former editor-in-chief

Honorable mention, environmental portrait—Sarah Bone, former yearbook photographer

Honorable mention, overall yearbook design — Stone Fort staff members

Honorable mention, overall excellence yearbook — Stone Fort staff members

The Pine Log newspaper

Second place, breaking news photo — Cameron Keplinger, photo editor

Second place, sports page design — Deanna Swindell, former sports editor

Second place, illustration — Simone Rodriguez, former illustrator

Second place, editorial — Alyssa Coker, managing editor

Second place, sports game story — Deanna Swindell, former sports editor

Third place, sports feature photo — Gabrielle Czapla, former photographer

Third place, general column — Luis Ruperto, former videographer

Honorable mention, opinion page design — Isabell Tenorio, former opinions editor

Honorable mention, overall excellence newspaper — The Pine Log staff members