OBU’s Ouachitonian yearbook earns national Gold Medalist award
January 30, 2018
- Sarah DavisOuachita Baptist University’s 2016-2017 Ouachitonian yearbook earned a Gold Medalist award and All-Columbian Honors from the Columbia Scholastic
Press Association in its annual College Yearbook Critique.
The CSPA critiques and offers instruction on how to improve student newspapers, magazines,
online media and yearbooks by recruiting adviser-judges from across the U.S. These
advisers judge publications on three categories: reference, verbal and visual. The
CSPA is housed at Columbia University and is considered one of the premier student
publications organizations in the nation.
“Our students produce outstanding work, and we have a strong reputation among the
best college yearbooks in the nation,” said Dr. Deborah Root, faculty advisor for
the Ouachitonian and chair of Ouachita’s Rogers Department of Communications. “I’m proud of our students
and their hard work in producing a quality publication. It provides a learning experience
for our students, and their perseverance and dedication paid off.”
"I was thrilled to receive the gold medalist award,” said Robert DeSoto, co-editor-in-chief
of the Ouachitonian. “To me it's a validation of all the hard work our staff put into designing and creating
the book. It was a fun, exciting and, at times, difficult endeavor, but the fact that
it has been praised and received such a high critique means our work has paid off."
Gold Medalist awards are presented to publications earning a total score from 800
to 1,000 points. All-Columbian Honors are given to those who earn more than 95 percent
of the points possible in an individual category. The Ouachitonian received a total of 916 points and was awarded All-Columbian Honors for its reference
and visual sections.
“The book is very solid in its content, and the photography and the profiles really
bring the book to the next level,” said the judge-adviser for Ouachita’s yearbook.
“You did a great job here.” The judge-adviser also praised the overall theme and noted
that the yearbook had “great opening photos that set the stage.”
Robert DeSoto, a 2017 mass communications and Spanish graduate from Sheridan, Ark.,
and Amber Easterly, a 2017 mass communications and business administration/marketing
graduate from Bryant, Ark., served as co-editors-in-chief of the book. Andy Henderson,
a senior mass communications major from Royse City, Texas, served as photo editor.
Section editors included Victoria Anderson, a senior mass communications and English
double major from Blytheville, Ark.; Taryn Bailey, a senior mass communications and
speech communication double major from Kyle, Texas; Grace Ballard, a sophomore graphic
design major from El Dorado, Ark.; Ian Craft, a 2017 mass communications graduate
from Celina, Texas; Addy Goodman, a sophomore communications & media/communications
studies and political science double major from Arkadelphia, Ark.; Abbey Little, a
2017 mass communications and political science double major from Pearcy, Ark.; and
Brooke Woessner, a sophomore communications & media/strategic communications and Christian
studies/Christian ministries double major from Springdale, Ark.
For more information, contact Deborah Root at [email protected] or (870) 245-5510.
By Sarah Davis
January 30, 2018
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