BOARD MEETING MINUTES
SPJ South Florida Pro
Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012, 7:30 p.m.
University Press at FAU
777 Glades Road, Boca Raton

The 2012 Board

SPJ South Florida Pro is having their first chapter meeting of 2012 on Tuesday, Jan. 10, at 7:30 pm at Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton. It is an open meeting and all are encouraged to attend to discuss upcoming networking events, continuing education, and the coveted Sunshine State Awards.

Can’t attend? Tell us what you want us to plan for you this year. We are constantly looking for programming ideas!

Free Money: High School & College Scholarships!

LOCAL — SPJ South Florida Pro now accepting applications for chapter scholarship. Applications must include provide form, transcripts, an essay, at least one letter of recommendation, and any supporting documents such as a resume, clips, and relevant course work. Applications are due March 1.

NATIONAL — The SPJ Mark of Excellence Awards call for entries is going on now through Jan. 25. The best in collegiate journalism charges $9 per entry for SPJ members and $18 for non-members. Click here to find out all the details.

Around the State: Regional SPJ Convention

The Region 3 convention will be hosted by the University of Florida chapter in Gainesville from March 23-24. All chapters from Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina are encouraged to attend. Contact Region 3 Director Michael Koretzky for questions.

Around the Country: Intern with SPJ

Are you a student or know one who is looking for an SPJ internship? The Pullman/Killmore Freedom of Information Internships application is due Jan. 16 to qualifying students. A completed application, resume, essay and writing samples are required.

Awards: Scripps Howard Entries Due
The 2011 Scripps Howard Awards call for entries is in effect until Jan. 31. Winners can win $10,000-$15,000 in cash along with a trophy. Keep in mind some categories require a $50 entry fee.

Roll Call
Members present: Michael Koretzky, Dori Zinn, Lucy Reed, Rachael Joyner, Jason Parsley, Sergy Odiduro, Lisa Lucas, Karla Bowsher.

Approval of Meeting Minutes from August 9, 2011.

ACTION: Dori made a motion to approve the minutes from the last meeting. Lisa seconded. Motion passed unanimously.

UPDATES

1. Elections for 2012 Board (Koretzky)
• We are shooting for a day in the second week of December. Members will be able to vote online. We will advertize at least 30 days in advance. Two new people contacted Koretzky about running for the board. A few of the current board members will not be running again.
• Koretzky will send out a Doodle to the board so we can decide on a date for the elections.
• Jason was nominated by Koretzky as the nominating chair. He will send out the slate of candidates.

2. Chapter Finances (Jason)
• The budget for next year projects the chapter having a $1,000+ surplus. We saved money with travel costs because the national convention is in Fort Lauderdale.

3. Next Year’s Sunshine State Awards & Banquet (Jason)
• The committee decided that we should keep the awards banquet in some form. There is a demand for it; it draws in the biggest crowd of all our events. They believe we can cut costs by changing the venue. Now we need to discuss how we will continue it. Jason checked pricing at Calder Casino & Race Course in Miami Gardens, which would be $15 per head for a buffet.
• Koretzky – I think it is important that we don’t lose money on the event.
• Lisa – I think we should have it as long as we break even.
• Lucy – I feel very strongly that we should have it. It is the only time that people in the journalism community get together.
• Koretzky – We have to make this a priority and spend time organizing it.
• Lucy – I think we need to have a speaker at the banquet to draw people in. We should also have the big award winners tell the backstory, as Jason suggested before. Last year people said they liked the categories and wanted more.
• The board discussed whether to add or consolidate categories.
• Jason – We need to appoint someone to market the awards and the categories.
• A committee will discuss what to do about the categories, awards, and banquet. Jason, Lucy, Gideon, Dori, Sergy will be members.

4. Recap of New Orleans National Convention (Koretzky)
• Koretzky was elected as the Region 3 director. He has money for programming, but national doesn’t know where it is. The previous regional director had the money in a private account, and it is now unaccounted for.

ACTION: Sergy made a motion that SPJ National investigates where Region 3′s funds are and suggests safeguards for handling the money in the future. Lucy seconded. Motion passed unanimously.

• (Koretzky) Gideon, editor-in-chief of FAU’s student newspaper, defeated three other candidates to win one of two student seats on the national board. He gave a rousing speech.
• The Helen Thomas resolution to reinstate the award was debated and voted on. It failed by about 10 votes. Another big change was that there will now be online voting for the SPJ national board. There is a $3 dues increase for professionals, $1.50 for students. Sergy was one of the diversity fellows and she addressed the national board.
• The board members who went briefly shared what they learned at the convention.

ACTION: Rachael made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Lucy seconded. Motion passed unanimously.

Update: Minutes approved at Jan. 10 board meeting.

Nominating Jason Parsley has reviewed the candidates’ bios and verified their membership status and eligibility to serve. A brief summary of qualifications of each candidate for office is provided below. To find out more information about the voting on Dec. 12, click here.

Michele Boyet – President

Boyet is the current executive vice president for SPJ South Florida and the social media coordinator and wedding blogger for The Breakers, Palm Beach. Michele is also the vice president of the Florida College Press Association and assistant director for College Media Advisers’ national journalism conventions in New York City. She serves on the SPJ National membership and college membership committees. Michele formerly worked at the Sun Sentinel and was named College Journalist of the Year in 2010 by the SPJ South Florida Sunshine State Awards, and received the Robert D.G. Lewis First Amendment award from SPJ National in Oct. 2010.

Jason Parsley – Executive Vice President

Parsley is an award-winning reporter. He currently works as the Editor in Chief of the South Florida Gay News. Previously he worked for Forum Publishing Group for three years covering West Boca, Wellington and Royal Palm Beach. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a bachelor’s degree in communications and a minor in political science. While in school he served as the Editor in Chief of the student newspaper, the University Press. He has also served as the treasurer for the SPJ South Florida Pro Chapter.

Dori Zinn – V.P. of Membership

Zinn is a communications assistant and contributing editor for The Association for Retail Environments, a non-profit retail trade organization in Hollywood, Fla. For the past year, Dori has served as Vice President of Programs for the SPJ South Florida Pro chapter. Prior to that, she served as Vice President of Membership, helping recruit nearly 30 new members. Dori graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2008 with a degree in Multimedia Journalism.

Lynn Walsh – V.P. of Programs

Walsh is an Investigative Producer for WPTV in West Palm Beach. Previously she worked as an Investigative Journalist for Texas Watchdog, a non-profit online journalism organization in Houston, Texas. She is a graduate of Ohio University’s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism and has also put time in at several other media organizations including WSYX/WTTE in Columbus,OH, WRGT/WKEF in Dayton, Ohio, WMAR in Baltimore, and “The Today Show” in New York City. Walsh is a member of the Radio Television Digital News Association, SPJ, where she serves as head of the Generation J committee, and IRE.

Brandon Ballenger – Treasurer

Ballenger is a freelance writer and graduate student at Florida Atlantic University, where he also received his bachelor’s degree in communication and English. He is a regular contributor to The South Florida Business Journal, and Money Talks News, an online outlet dedicated to personal finance and regularly featured on MSN, Yahoo! and broadcast on NBC, ABC, and CBS affiliates nationwide.

Rachael Joyner – Secretary

Joyner is a staff writer and photographer for Cross International, a South Florida-based charity that supports social development projects in 36 countries. Before coming to Cross, Joyner worked as a staff reporter for the South Florida Sun Sentinel. She has worked as a contributing travel writer for Jazziz Magazine and freelances as a Web designer, photographer, and writer. Joyner has served as Secretary for the SPJ South Florida Pro chapter for two. She graduated from Florida Atlantic University — where she served as editor-in-chief of the student newspaper, University Press — with a bachelor’s degree in multimedia journalism and political science.

Sergy Odiduro – Director

Odiduro is a reporter for the Forum Publishing Group. She began her journalism career as an editorial assistant at the Daily Business Review. She graduated from Bernard M. Baruch’s School of Communication with a bachelor’s in journalism. While in school, she was features and op-ed editor for the campus newspaper, The Ticker. She was also a contributor to Dollars and Sense, Baruch College’s review of business and society. Prior to joining the Daily Business Review, Odiduro interned with Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) and Radio Soleil D’ Haiti, where she produced and hosted a regular English-language news segment.

Lucy Chabot Reed – Director

Reed has been a reporter and editor in South Florida for 20 years. She has worked with the Sun Sentinel, South Florida Business Journal, CityLink, and New Times. She now is the owner and editor of The Triton, an internationally circulated, monthly newspaper for the folks who earn their living working on luxury yachts.

Rebekah Monson – Director

Monson has worked at the Sun Sentinel since 2005 as a designer, design director and a community manager for the business section of SunSentinel.com. She currently serves as a reporter covering Boca Raton. She also blogs for the Reynolds Center for Business Journalism on multimedia and online journalism. After graduating from Louisiana State University’s Manship School for Mass Communication in 2003, Rebekah worked at newspapers in the Northwest as a copy editor and a designer.

Devin Desjarlais – Director

Desjarlais is currently a Social Media Manager at Max Borges Agency where she manages the social media presences of high-profile consumer electronics companies.  Before joining the MBA team Desjarlais was the Web Editor for Broward-Palm Beach New Times. She’s a regular speaker at the semi-annual national student media conventions where she teaches new media sessions. Desjarlais graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a degree in Multimedia Communications and a minor in Sociology. During her college years she served as Editor in Chief of FAU’s student newspaper during which time the staff produced a first-place award-winning story.

Cassie Morien – Director

Morien is the web and shop editor for Boca Raton and Delray Beach magazine. She joined JES Publishing in January 2011 after earning a degree in journalism and a minor in creative writing from the University of Central Florida. While at UCF, Morien served as a staff writer and columnist for aXis Magazine and interned at WOFL Fox 35.  She created her own music website and has freelanced for a variety of publications out of Austin, Texas, including The Deli Austin, Rare Magazine, Round Rock Leader, and Austin Music + Entertainment.

Gabriel Tyner – Director

Tyner was first introduced to journalism when he got a job at a news station in Gainesville Florida as an Associate Producer.  After that he made his way to director and finally producer of live TV.  After getting the investigative bug, Gabriel decided to move to a larger market in Orlando where he produced an award winning documentary “Chiefland.”  He writes for several online publications including examiner.com, productionapprentice.com, and his own blog about gangs in schools chasing-ghosts.com.  He graduated from the University of Florida with a major in Anthropology and a minor in Classics and Latin American Studies. Currently, he teaches TV and Film at Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale.

Gideon Grudo – Student Director

Gideon Grudo has been a member of the SPJ South Florida chapter since the summer of 2010. He’s currently on the national board of SPJ as a student representative, on the board of the Florida College Press Association, the Editor-In-Chief of the University Press, Florida Atlantic University’s student-run newspaper, an intern with the Miami Herald, and a freelancer. Grudo has helped coordinate 4 SPJ programs: Will Write for Food 2011, All on Paper, Unethical Press and the First Amendment Free Food Festival (2011 @FAU).

Michael Koretzky – Immediate Past President

Koretzky served on the SPJ South Florida board from 2005-07 and the SPJ national board from 2008-10. He’s currently president of the Florida College Press Association, spring convention director for College Media Advisers, and volunteer adviser for the student newspaper at Florida Atlantic University. He’s been a freelance journalist for The New York Times, USA Today, and the National Enquirer; a staff reporter for the Sun-Sentinel, Florida Times-Union, and Athens (Ga) Banner-Herald; and an editor at the nation’s largest jazz magazine, two alternative weeklies, and a national website. His SPJ programs — Ethics Hold’em, Will Write for Food, and the First Amendment Free Food Festival — have won thousands in grants and been replicated around the country.

Gideon Grudo gets ethics painted on his arm at the University of Tampa's First Amendment Free Food Festival.

They say there’s no such thing as a free lunch — and at the First Amendment Free Food Festival a delicious meal comes at a cost: your rights.

Last Monday, SPJ Vice President Michele Boyet and newly-elected SPJ national student board member Gideon Grudo traveled to University of Tampa to help put on the award-winning event.

The FAFFF originated in South Florida – the inaugural event was held at Florida Atlantic University in 2006. UT’s joins the list of more than 30 college campuses around the country that have put on this festival – a vast majority thanks to funding from SPJ national.

The event offers free lunch to students who symbolically sign away their First Amendment rights. Once inside a roped-off area of campus, the students see first hand what it’s like to live without their freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly and the right to petition your government.

“We always believed the best way to reach college students was through their stomachs,” says Boyet, the FAFFF co-founder/organizer. “We’re essentially teaching students about their rights by tricking them with free food. Works like a charm.”

UT’s student newspaper, The Minaret, and a newly-formed First Amendment Organization sponsored the event. The students took the creatively to a new level, adding face painters, character artists and even balloon animals. The event attracted more than 360 students on a campus of 6,500 – more than 5 percent of the student body.

Also this week, the University of Florida held their 3rd FAFFF. See their coverage here.

See more FAFFF’s from around the country here.

 Student member Gideon Grudo, Editor-in-Chief of the University Press at Florida Atlantic University, was elected to one of two Campus Representative positions. He now represents students and student chapters nationwide.

Important News From EIJ11

Last month, chapter delegates voted to increase member dues. For professional members, the annual fee is now $75, with post-graduates and students paying $37.50. The increase will take effect Jan. 1, 2012. Read more about the increase here.

Delegates also voted in favor of ”One Member, One Vote,” which allows each chapter member to elect national and regional board members. This will replace the current system, in which chapter delegates are sent to elect board members on behalf of the members. Chapter delegates will still vote on legislation, such as resolutions and bylaw amendments. Click here to read more about the new system.

The chapter sponsored the Unethical Press at Florida Atlantic University. The FAU paper, the University Press, celebrated SPJ Ethics Week in April by violating as many of the SPJ Code of Ethics as humanly possible.

At the annual Fall College Media Convention, which lured more than 2,00 college journalists to Orlando, the Associated Collegiate Press announced its annual Pacemaker awards — and the Unethical Press won first place for editorial supplement and an honorable mention for its design.

The Pacemakers, along with SPJ’s Mark of Excellence awards, are the most prestigious for college media students. If you’d like to attempt an Unethical Press, email chapter president Michael Koretzky for details.

On Monday, Dec. 12, come join your chapter representatives and members at Southport Raw Bar in Fort Lauderdale for our annual election meeting at 7:15 p.m. Food will be provided. All chapter members are encouraged to attend and vote for the 2012 board. If you are interested in running for a position, please check out our current list of board seats and contact Jason Parsley, chair of the nominating committee. See the full slate of candidates here.

If you are unable to attend, we welcome email voting prior to the event. Please stay tuned for more information on email voting and a list of candidates. RSVP to the event on Facebook here.

According to the SEJ website, journalists will explore Aquarius, the world’s largest undersea research lab. They will also dive on protect reefs, explore the Everglades, and witness the effects of a category 5 hurricane at the National Hurricane Center.

Along with exploring, conference attendees will partake in all-day workshops on video training, sessions on climate change and breakout sessions that include mapping earth from space.

Click here for more information and how to register.

TBABJ will distribute $5,000 to deserving students of color, pursuing a college degree in journalism. TBABJ plans to give away its first scholarship to a graduate journalism student this year for $1,000. Along with that, two undergraduate students will each receive a $1,000 scholarship and one undergraduate will receive a $2,000 scholarship.

High school seniors, college undergraduate and graduate students of color – African American, Hispanic, Asian, etc. – are encouraged to apply before the September 30, 2011 deadline. Applications must be postmarked by this date to be considered.

Scholarship winners will be announced this year during TBABJ’s Griot Drum Awards on November 17. CNN Anchor Don Lemon will serve as the keynote speaker.

Click here for more information and how to apply.