Plainsman Press Earns Honors from TCCJA

 Ray Buffington, editor-in-chief

Staff members of South Plains College’s newspaper, the Plainsman Press, earned four awards from the Texas Community College Journalism Association during the fall 2005 convention recently held in Amarillo at the Holiday Inn.

Jacob Tucker of Paducah earned second place for his Division II feature writing entry “From Levelland to Hollywood,” a story about former SPC student Kinna McInroe and the journey she took in order to reach her dreams of becoming an actress. Tucker is a sophomore and is majoring in print journalism and public relations. He is also currently the feature editor of the Plainsman Press.

 Ray Buffington, a freshman from Lubbock, won third place for his Division II column entry “Hooked on Homos – Stereotypes are not for me,” an opinion piece explaining the stereotypes homosexual men are given by others, and the different kinds of lifestyles they actually live. In August, Buffington began serving his first semester as editor-in-chief of the Plainsman Press.

Brandon Holland of Lubbock also placed third in page design and layout in Division II for his spotlight page featuring the SPC track team. Holland served as the associate editor of the Plainsman Press during the 2004-2005 school year.

The entire fall 2005 semester staff was awarded honorable mention for best newspaper overall.

The Plainsman Press staff is preparing for the next competition, which will be hosted by the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association April 5-6 at the organization’s convention in San Antonio. The Plainsman Press was selected as Best Overall newspaper in Division IV at the 2004 convention.