JACKSON, Tenn. — March 10, 2015 — Union鈥檚 student news publication, the Cardinal & Cream, won 12 awards in the 2014 Best of the South competition sponsored by the Southeast Journalism Conference, including first place in the Best College Magazine category.
鈥淭his year was a huge transition for the Cardinal & Cream as we moved from biweekly print news to daily online news and a long form magazine,鈥� said Ashley Blair, assistant professor of communication arts and the C&C adviser. 鈥淚t is a testament to the excellence of our student journalists, photojournalists and designers that the very first C&C magazine was named Best of the South.鈥�
The publication also placed third in the Best College Newspaper and sixth in the Best College Website categories. Individually, Katherine Burgess, editor-in-chief of the Cardinal & Cream, placed second in the Collegiate Journalist of the Year competition.
鈥淥ur writers, photographers, designers and editors all worked together beautifully to craft our first magazine,鈥� Burgess said. 鈥淚t's wonderful to have that hard work acknowledged. To be recognized as the best college magazine in the South -- particularly when we had no prior experience working with magazines -- speaks volumes about the dedication and talent of the students on the Cardinal & Cream.鈥�
SEJC is comprised of more than 45 member colleges and universities in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee. These universities include both large state schools such as University of Memphis, Mississippi State, University of Alabama, Louisiana State University and Georgia State University as well as private institutions like Belmont University, Samford University and Harding University.
Other individual awards for Union students were: Courtney Brown, second place in magazine layout; Nathan Handley, second place in special event coverage; MiKalla Cotton, second place in multimedia journalist; Kate Benedetti, fifth place in magazine writer; Burgess, sixth place in news writer; Handley, sixth place in newspaper page layout; Jenaye White, eighth place in feature writer; and Evan Estes, ninth place in arts and entertainment.
The Cardinal & Cream is available online at .