The Ram Page Takes On TIPA 2023

Angelo State University’s Ram Page staff competed at the 2023 Texas Intercollegiate Press Association Convention, held March 23-25 in Fort Worth, Texas. Ram Page staff members Aaron McGuire, Arabella Peña, Brittney Jackson and Ethan Purcell attended, and the newspaper brought home three awards from competitions held live at the downtown Fort Worth Hilton Hotel and from events held in the months prior to the convention.

To commemorate the event, The Ram Page’s attending contestants wrote about their experiences at the conference and in the Fort Worth area. Enjoy their stories!

 Aaron McGuire

Going into this year’s TIPA conference, I aimed to do better in the copy editing contest and to have an overall better experience than our TIPA 2022 escapades. As some of you may or may not know, I came down with a nasty case of food poisoning during The Ram Page’s debut on the TIPA scene. Despite my ailment, I managed to snag an honorable mention in the copy editing contest and had a good time while doing so (at least, as good of a time as one can have when any sort of food is a no-go).

This year, however, I somehow caught strep throat before our departure. It’s funny how the cycle sometimes continues, right? But I wanted to do better, and no sore throat or fever was going to keep me from that. I studied as much as possible and, with the experience I’ve gathered as a copy editor since the last competition, took home second place.

I learned a lot from this year’s conference, and I still had fun despite being sick once again. So, what’s the lesson I learned? Drink your orange juice, kids. Also, don’t forget that sometimes, the best of times can be had in the worst of circumstances.

 Arabella Peña

I went to the TIPA conference last year as a writer, and this year I got the opportunity to participate in the feature photography live photography contests.

My contest started at 2 p.m. and concluded at 4:30 p.m. I was able to meet students from all over Texas, ranging from Austin to Corpus Christi!

The feature photography contest gave students a prompt and sent them out to the world to find a subject that met that prompt. The prompt was to find an interesting person or people that inherently fit Fort Worth terms such as “Funky Town,” “Panther City” and “Cowtown.” We could explore as close to or as far from the hotel as we wanted.

I already had a picture in mind for this contest but didn’t know how to fit it into the prompt, so I ran around the block and talked with several people to see if I could find a better picture. Instead, I got a bunch of cool stories. I met a florist who hates the Texas humidity and misses the Arizona dry heat and an artist that Telemundo had interviewed.

Ultimately, I returned to my first source of inspiration: a tattoo shop called Pink Cobra Tattoo. I got such vibrant and interesting shots while there and met some really cool people too!

Contest aside, the trip itself was a fun experience! I got to explore the Fort Worth area and take pictures for my photography Instagram account. Brittney and I were able to take pictures of meals, local art and skylines. It was so fun getting to spend time with everyone while also representing Angelo State University.

 Brittney Jackson

This year, I had the opportunity to attend the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association's conference and live competitions for the second time. Compared to last year, I had more experience and decided to challenge myself by participating in the critical review category. I was thrilled with my decision, as it was an entirely different experience from when I participated in news writing last year, where I was tasked with covering an apartment fire.

For the critical review contest, I had the chance to listen to three local bands from the Dallas-Fort Worth area and review their music and messages. The bands, Ester Shank, Overshare and Rosegarden Funeral Party, all had a unique punk rock sound that resonated with me. In addition, each band showcased different aspects of the punk scene in their music.

Although I didn't bring home any certificates, I gained invaluable experience from this year's competition. I met new friends and mentors, experienced some of the local spots and discovered some new music to add to my playlist. Additionally, I was delighted to spend time with my fellow staff at The Ram Page and enjoyed eating delicious food with them. Overall, it was a fantastic experience that I will cherish for years.

 Ethan Purcell

Before I left for my first TIPA conference, I thought it would be a relaxing four-day break from school and work. Every preconceived notion I had for work conferences came from television and movies. Let me just say that I have two words for everyone reading this and everyone who ever wants to work in an office …

TV lied.

When we arrived in Fort Worth on day one, we checked into the hotel and registered at the TIPA check-in desk. 

Day two was competition day, and I competed in the joint news writing and photography contest. They shuttled us to the nearby Joe Pool Lake, where a drowning was staged by the Grand Prairie police and fire departments, and we had to report about it. While I didn’t bring home any hardware, I had an awesome time and received some new experience in interviewing public officials. I had originally planned to participate in the headlining writing event to showcase my growing abilities, but due to an unforeseen scheduling conflict, I had to miss out on that one.

Day three was filled with different workshops that taught valuable skills to up-and-coming journalists and editors. My favorite one by far was “Gagged” by Frank LoMonte. In his talk, he discussed how student journalism organizations are often censored by their colleges and universities. This blew my mind as I could not believe how colleges could even do that. I also attended “Embrace the F Word: Getting Started in Fundraising for Your Student Media Organization'' by Beth Francesco. This one gave me some really useful tactics to bring home and use, so be on the lookout for some new ways to give to your favorite ASU news outlet! That night, we decided that we owed ourselves a fancy dinner at Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen, where we gorged ourselves on a variety of breads, cheeses and aquatic delicacies. 

Although it was the last day, day four was not short of business. We checked out of the hotel and took part in the Awards Breakfast, where a few members of The Ram Page’s staff received awards for their work in the live contests and pre-published events!

Overall, I had a great time, and while it was super busy, I still managed to learn a lot and had fun growing my friendships with my work colleagues. We even got to attend a rock concert for free! Thank you to our Department of Communication and Mass Media, and thank you, Ram Page!