At the Indiana Collegiate Press Association (ICPA) awards on April 1, The Record was named the second-best newspaper in the state for colleges under 3,000 students.

Wabash College took first place with a score of 92 points, beating out The Record’s 71 points, while Taylor University finished in third with 63 points.

This year’s second-place finish concludes The Record’s five-year run as “Newspaper of the Year.”

The ICPA is a statewide journalism organization that promotes “fellowship among collegiate journalists in the state” and hands out awards every year recognizing collegiate journalists. This is the first time the ceremony has occurred in person since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The students that traveled to the awards ceremony in Indianapolis were Caleb Shenk and Daniel Eash-Scott, along with Duane Stoltzfus, professor of communication and adviser to The Record. Shenk, a junior accounting major, is the digital editor this semester, and Eash-Scott, a junior history major, is the features editor.

Shenk said that “while the awards were nice, the highlight for me was the keynote speaker.” Tom French, who won a Pulitzer Prize for feature writing, spoke on the power of storytelling and “the three most beautiful words in the English language: ‘What happens next?’” 

Shenk noted that French’s stories on “middle-school love, tiger mating and an unsolved murder couldn’t have been more different, but all spoke to how stories can capture parts of our world that all exists in the same universe.”

For Eash-Scott, “it was a great experience, not only receiving awards, but traveling to Indianapolis with Caleb and Duane was so much fun. It felt almost like a preparation for next year, and it also feels good to have it affirmed that The Record is producing high-quality work.”

Stoltzfus said that this year’s awards “confirm that this was a standout year for journalism at Goshen College, with the written word leading the way. As the judges noted, the staff produced an exceptional range of diverse stories.”

11 students collected 23 awards at the ceremony. The awards recognized staff from the spring and fall of 2022. Sierra Ross Richer served as executive editor for the spring semester, while Augusta Nafziger served as the executive editor for the fall semester.

Five students took home first-place awards.

Mariela Esparza was the recipient of two of these awards. Her opinion piece entitled “Not-so-swift: Taylor Swift’s false radicalism” highlighted personal concerns about Taylor Swift’s ideologies and called on readers to look more critically into their favorite artists. Additionally, her feature article on GC’s Campus Center for Young Children showcased the importance of the program through children’s eyes, won first place.

Caleb Shenk also received two first-place awards. His news article, “International Student Club Coffeehouse back in full swing,” covered the resurgence of the coffeehouse after continuous COVID-19-related cancellations. Shenk’s sports feature, “Pickleball movement finds a home in Goshen,” focused on the growing popularity of the sport, as well as individual players in the Goshen area.

Jakyra Green took home first place for her news story, “‘Education matters’: Proposed bill raises controversy.” Green’s coverage focused on the discriminatory nature of the bill and how it could prohibit lessons on racism and sexism in the classroom.

Daniel Eash-Scott won first in the sports column for his piece “I love you, Goshen: Squirrel signing off.” Judges said that his hook — which said that because GC named Dash as the official mascot,  “I’m now out of a job” — made for “such a fun column.”

The staff took home a first place award for a special pullout section highlighting the depths of research at GC, including research from the school’s president, Rebecca Stoltzfus. Denver Beck also took home first place for an illustration.

Second-place awards went home to five students: Eash-Scott with a news story, Shenk with an entertainment review, Tyson Miller for a news photo, Spencer Waterman for a sports photo and Yujin Kim for the sports page design.

Six students were awarded third place: Eash-Scott for a sports news story, Green for an in-depth story, Sadie Brenneman for an opinion column, Greta Lapp Klassen with an editorial cartoon and special section front cover, Miller for a photo essay and news photo and Ross Richer with a staff editorial.