By Tim Stephens, APSE President, CBSSports.com
Earlier I outlined plans to expand APSE’s student initiatives with a call to allow students and universities to form campus chapters of APSE. That plan is under review by our Futures Committee, and our goal is to put some finishing touches on a structure that allows our first student chapters to come on board.
I’ve already heard from representatives at several prominent universities, where enthusiasm for APSE is high and the prospect of a formal structure seems to be well received. I would not be surprised to see perhaps 10-20 student groups apply for chapter status whenever we move forward.
Longtime journalist Malcolm Moran, the director of the National Sports Journalism Center at the IU School of Journalism, Indianapolis, is one of the biggest supporters of this initiative. APSE and Indiana University have been strong partners, with IU hosting the winter conference as well being home to the APSE Red Smith Hall of Fame.
“The decision of the APSE leadership to engage students at the start of their careers is more than an investment in the future of the industry,” Moran said. “The commitment represents a chance for motivated students, our future leaders, to observe best practices and develop professional relationships that could help them for decades. The National Sports Journalism Center is committed to becoming a model chapter.”
Justice B. Hill, a former APSE member who now is an assistant professor of journalism at Ohio University, has also begun making plans to bring a student chapter to his university. Justice and I talked about student chapters extensively at the NABJ Convention in Orlando last fall, and that led me to visit as a guest lecturer at Ohio U. in the winter.
"Not surprisingly, my students are thrilled about partnering with APSE,” Hill said. “Bringing Tim Stephens to campus last November helped, because he let them see the benefits and the possibilities of having sports editors as advisers, coaches and mentors. None of my students can see a downside here. More than anything else, they don't simply want to be members; they want to be leaders of whatever the APSE campus chapters become.
"We have a diverse group of 10 students who are ready to join right away; all are freshmen. But I haven't even tried to pull upperclassmen into this yet. As I told these freshmen, Ohio University has a chance to build a strong APSE chapter, but the leadership and the vision for the chapter should and must come from them. For in the next three-plus years, they will be able to create something that can benefit each of them in his career and also lay a foundation for other aspiring sportswriters at Ohio U. to follow.
"So to borrow from these 10 freshmen: We're all in!"
Student chapters, of course, are a new thing we want to launch. But already students have benefitted from membership in APSE. Here are some recent examples:
— Stephanie Kuzydym was an APSE student member in 2012. She attended the APSE convention in Salt Lake City in 2010 and APSE judging in Indianapolis in 2011. She was one of the first student members of APSE. She interned at the Orlando Sentinel, covered the Oklahoma Sooners for the The Oklahoman after graduation from Indiana University and now covers high school sports for the Northeast Ohio Media Group.
“APSE is half the reason I am where I am. The other half is the help of my family and people from Indiana University like Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Tom French and former National Sports Journalism Center director Tim Franklin.
“At APSE, I met editors who offered me internships and future job opportunities, but also editors who were just willing to help me, guide me, talk shop with me and, in the case of long-time member Roy Hewitt, mentor me. As a college journalist, you're making a lot of your own decisions. A lot of them turn out fine, but a majority of them teach you a lesson that you'll face again in your career. With Roy's help and guidance, I was able to avoid falling on my face to learn some of those lessons. But you still have to stumble, right? I did that a lot too.
“When I went to Salt Lake City directly following my sophomore year, I thought it'd just be a chance to see a new city while having the ability to take photos and help Indiana University. It ended up changing my college and professional career. And hey, is getting to know editors across the nation with a handshake so they can place a face with a name instead of name with a piece of paper really harmful to your career? Heck no.”
— Nicole Saavedra was a student member of APSE in 2013 at the University of Central Florida. She now covers high school sports for the Athens Banner-Herald.
"As I began my senior year of college, I was nervous about beginning my search for a full-time job. A student membership with APSE not only helped reduce those worries, it helped me find a job. Through the membership, I was able to attend a conference that featured sports editors from all over the country. In just a few days, I was able to connect with a variety of editors that I wouldn’t have been able to meet through my university. Six months after the conference, one of those editors hired me for a full-time position. APSE offered crucial networking opportunities that I couldn’t find anywhere else."
— Jonathan Mathis is a senior at California State University, Fullerton, and an APSE student member for 2014:
“My experience with APSE has been incredible. Being part of an organization is humbling and it has given me a chance to expose my talent and work ethic. With this organization, thanks to Tim Stephens, I'm able to learn from the best in the business. That's always an advantage for journalism majors like me who are studying in a fun, competitive industry.”
— Hunter Hewitt played college football at San Diego State and was a student member of APSE in 2013. He attended the 2013 summer conference in Detroit, where he participated in APSE’s student job fair. That led him to several opportunities for his first job. He now works as a digital producer for CBS Interactive’s College Network of university websites.
“The APSE Conference was a very rewarding experience for me as a student member in 2013. The conference gave me an opportunity to get valuable advice from several long-time professionals in the journalism industry.
“Most importantly, the conference was an incredible networking opportunity. In fact, the two jobs I have landed since graduating have been tied to people I met at the conference.
“For any student or recent graduate interested in a career in the journalism industry, I would highly recommend attending the APSE Conference."
Students such as these have taken advantage of the opportunities afforded by a relationship with APSE. Joe Gisondi, a profession of journalism at Eastern Illinois University, expects the interest to continue to grow.
