Ram Page tackles TIPA 2024

Aletheia Sandley

Staff Photographer

This year I had the amazing privilege of attending the annual TIPA conference and live contests. This was my first year taking part in the conference and I was beyond nervous. For me, going to this conference was partly about getting to see exactly what it meant to be a photojournalist and especially about proving to myself that I belonged behind a camera just as much as any other photographer. 

Going into the first day, I was very excited but still nervous. I knew that my first contest, the News Photo contest, was happening later in the day. For the contest, we were given a general story of the “scenario” we were going to be arriving at. The information was vague and we weren’t told much before we were loaded onto buses and taken to the “scene of the crime.” Upon arriving, I found that they were not pulling any punches with this. There were lights, sirens and cops yelling into megaphones; it was genuinely like a real crime scene. Once the crime scene played out completely, the reporters started interviews while photographers were still taking pictures and cameras were still rolling. The entire experience was surreal and eye-opening to what it’s like to be an actual crime journalist and news photographer. 

On the second day, I had my second competition, Sport Action Photo. This contest made me the most nervous. Although I’m very familiar with sports photography as a whole, we were going to a softball game for the contest, a sport I had never shot before. Although this made me relatively nervous, I was pretty confident that, with the skills and experience that I had, I’d be able to figure it out and get some good shots. 

In the end, I didn’t end up winning anything, but I got an experience that really made me think of what I wanted to do. Going to TIPA opened my eyes to the very real possibility of pursuing a photography career. I got the chance to be surrounded by people who all shared a similar goal and to get closer to my fellow Ram Page staff members.

Nelle Woodruff

Staff Writer

This was my first time at a TIPA conference. I was nervous about how fast-paced everything seemed, but I managed to do just fine and kept up with everybody well. The competitions I participated in were Print News Writing and Critical Review, both on the first day. For Print News Writing, they carted everyone over to a ranch where they staged the police dealing with a barricaded suspect. I’m glad they told us beforehand that it wasn’t real because it definitely felt real. The “suspect” was wild and the police were very professional. I went around doing my best to take notes and interview the officers and witnesses. 

Later that evening, we also went to a rock concert for the Critical Review contest. It was a fusion between rock and country music performed by the Husten Brothers. I don’t usually like country music, but this was pretty fun. That was my first time writing for a performance that wasn’t in a concert hall. I’m pretty sure it was also my first time going to a bar. All in all, everything was fast-paced, but I made sure to do my best and, while I did not place, I learned a lot. I was nervous at the start, but that gradually went away the further I got in. The hotel was nice and it was great to have adventures with my coworkers while I was there.

Jack Palafox

Copy Editor

When I first joined the Ram Page as a copy editor, I thought that most if not all of my contributions would take place either in the office or at my personal computer. I did not expect to go to any events of any kind, much less a conference. However, having returned from the annual TIPA conference, I am incredibly grateful for having been able to attend. The experience was very fun and my fellow Ram Page employees were a joy to be with. I was admittedly worried that a copy editor such as myself would find very little to do at this kind of conference, but I was fortunately proven wrong. I did, unfortunately, fall sick on the first day while we had dinner at a local restaurant. I was informed that the copy editor who attended TIPA before me had a similar experience, so I must say that I am happy to continue the tradition. Due to my competition taking place on the second to last day of the conference, I was able to take it easy and attend some of the many talks and workshops. One highlight was a talk about how someone with an introverted personality can still exude confidence and be a force to be reckoned with in their respective field. Another was a discussion on improving your critical reviewing skills without knowing that much about what is being reviewed. Both of these talks were very engaging and informative, and I hope that I will be able to make use of the information discussed in the future.

The competition that I entered was Copy Editing. I was nervous on the day of the competition, not because I was worried about my performance but because I wanted to know what the competition was going to involve. It ended up containing three sections, the first of which involved several sentences that each had a list of potential words that could be used in the sentence, and it was up to us to choose the correct one. The second section consisted of a list of several sentences that all had five mistakes each that we had to identify and copy-edit using paper markup symbols. Any mistakes we made through our corrections also had to be corrected. The last section was an entire story with many different types of mistakes that we also had to correct using paper markup. This last section was only going to be graded if a tiebreaker was needed. We were not told whether or not this was necessary. Regardless, I am happy to report that I achieved second place in the Copy Editing competition. I like to think that it was due to a pointer I received from our editor-in-chief, Ethan Purcell, who informed me that “adviser” was spelled with an “e” instead of an “o” in AP Style. Also, another tradition that continued at TIPA was an announcer mispronouncing my last name, “Palafox,” this time as “Palofax.” This has been happening since elementary school, and I suspect it will continue into my adulthood. Anyway, even if I had not placed in this competition, I would still say that I am very glad that I was chosen to go on this extraordinary trip.

Ethan Purcell

Editor-in-Chief

 Alright, then. Year two of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association Conference. Let me start by saying, this was a weekend full of new experiences. I was tasked with transporting the team to San Marcos and continuing my leadership role in an unfamiliar place. I also took on the role of de facto social media manager, keeping our Instagram and Facebook followers updated on our adventures.

Day one was a travel day, but after reaching the Embassy Suites and getting checked in, we were all a little peckish. We decided to have dinner at Grin’s, a cool little bistro with an inclined parking lot, which made Captain Ethan and the crew of the U.S.S Ram Page just a tad bit nervous. Like I said, new experiences. Toward the end of dinner, my awesome copy editor, Jack, was doomed to continue the history of copy editors getting sick at TIPA. He did overcome, however, and bring home second place in the Copy Editing competition, continuing another TIPA tradition! 

Day two was spent making sure that Aletheia and Nelle made it to their contests. Neither one of them brought home any gold, but I’m glad they were able to put their skills gained over the years to the test. I also attended some of the lectures held, which are always enjoyable. I learned about how there are two different types of journalists in the world, those who are instrumental and those who are ornamental, and how you should always strive to be the former. I also studied the importance of local journalism with two employees of Community Impact, a group of local newspapers that cover Austin and the surrounding area. The team and I then attended Dr. G’s lecture, titled “Right Knowledge + Right Skills = Great Designs and Great Jobs!” Go, Dr. G!

Day three was my day of competition, where, just like last year, I was eager to test my skills in the Headline Writing competition. I didn’t get to compete last year due to a time conflict, but, with my skills even sharper than last time, I was confident. Sadly, though, I was not victorious. However, there was still more to do, so I decided to take my merry band to the outlets to get our steps in.

Day four was the Awards Breakfast, during which your favorite ASU newspaper brought home some more hardware: Jack Palafox’s second place in Copy Editing and Millie Switzer and Tiana Montag of RamTV’s first place in Previously Published Multimedia News! Afterward, we began our long trek back home, 

Like last year, I enjoyed getting closer with my fellow Ram Page employees, as two four-hour car rides and a weekend abroad allow. We had a lot of laughs and a lot of fun. It’s always interesting to see how people do out of the office. With a little mist in my eye as I write this, I wish it wasn’t my last year attending the conference. I’m going to miss being surrounded by my fellow collegiate journalists from across the state and I’m going to miss eating good food on the good old Blue and Gold’s dime. Thanks, Department of Communication and Mass Media! I hope that those who come after me will also be able to attend the conference and make the Ram Page proud.