Ashley Hemmy – President
Student journalists live busy lives.
They take multiple classes, intern at local publications and spend most of their free time developing, reporting and writing stories.
So, you wonder: Why add something else to the already lengthy list of things to do? What can a student journalism organization do to help you?
The Society of Professional Journalists is not just a UF student organization. It is the largest, oldest and broadest journalism organization in the country. It is comprised of 8,000 members, many part of a professional or student chapter.
And the UF chapter of SPJ isn’t just any student organization. It was selected as SPJ’s 2009 Campus Chapter of the Year. It is nationally recognized for its large student membership and many events to attend. And it has purpose.
The Society of Professional Journalists champions a Code of Ethics that promotes honest and objective journalism.
According to the national Web site:
“It is the mission of the Society of Professional Journalists:
— To promote this flow of information.
— To maintain constant vigilance in protection of the First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and of the press.
— To stimulate high standards and ethical behavior in the practice of journalism.
— To foster excellence among journalists.
— To inspire successive generations of talented individuals to become dedicated journalists.
— To encourage diversity in journalism.
— To be the pre-eminent, broad-based membership organization for journalists.
— To encourage a climate in which journalism can be practiced freely.”
Read all of this and ask yourself: Why not be part of all of this? For just $46 a year ($36 national and $10 local dues) you can stand for something huge.
And you will be excited to see everything UF’s SPJ has planned. We will have speakers from the College of Journalism and Communications, local and national publications, the Faces of the Homeless Speakers’ Bureau and many more. Through these speakers you will learn about different aspects of journalism and the state of the field.
We will also plan events that will help you such as peer-to-peer mentoring programs, reporting workshops and internship sessions. You will get to meet different faculty members of the College and editors of publications that will offer you advice, a mentor and maybe even a job. And you will be part of a network of students and professionals that will become your friends.
Our biggest events receive campus-wide recognition. During our annual First Amendment Free Food Festival, students will sign away their First Amendment rights and face the consequences. Journalism students will get dressed up and play poker during our Ethics Hold’Em night, an extravagant casino night for aspiring wordsmiths. We will challenge the different Colleges on campus by asking controversial questions during our Freedom of Information Audit. And we will join the campus during its annual Dance Marathon event, where the SPJ team will stand on their feet for 26.2 hours to raise money benefiting the Children’s Miracle Network.
SPJ’s schedule will keep you busy, happy and excited about being a journalist in today’s society. To be part of a network so large, so meaningful is worth it.
SPJ’s first meeting is Tuesday, August 31. Come by and see what we are all about.
