2006 Campus Progress Awards

Best Publication of the Year: Buzzsaw Haircut, Ithaca College
Accepting for Buzzsaw Haircut is Matt Corley

In 1999, some friends at Ithaca College decided their campus was ready for a paper which expressed alternative ideas, viewpoints, and cultural backgrounds of college students nationally. With its name taken from a Mojo Nixon song, Buzzsaw Haircut set out to publish original creative journalism, commentary, and satire.

It succeeded. The magazine is widely read on campus and throughout the community and has won numerous awards from the Independent Press Association. Now, after a year in the Campus Progress network, Buzzsaw Haircut continues to impress with an exceptionally high level of professional quality writing, investigative reporting, layout, and design. From their “Privilege” issue, which highlighted the degree to which privilege touches campus life, to the “War is Complex” issue, Buzzsaw Haircut is producing some of the best student journalism around.

It is their attention to quality and the unique flair with which the magazine staff produce each issue, and their abundant respect for honest and thorough reporting, that has made Buzzsaw Haircut the clear winner for the Campus Progress Best Publication of the Year award.

Breakthrough Publication of the Year: Orbis, Vanderbilt University
Accepting for Orbis is Michael Maio

Vanderbilt University ’s Orbis received one of the first Campus Progress grants in January 2005. It has become an outstanding campus publication. Orbis has improved its visual presentation by printing on heavier stock paper and in color. It has begun to focus on strong investigative reporting, and it has added compelling news, and cultural features.

The commitment of the staff to make Orbis a truly professional operation has resulted in a stronger presence on campus, which has moved the publication toward its goals of creating a more accepting atmosphere at Vanderbilt, as well as providing a megaphone for progressive views and values. Campus Progress is pleased to name Orbis the Breakthrough Publication of the Year.

Action Campaign of the Year: “ Sudan Divestment Task Force,” Daniel Millenson, Brandeis University

Determined to do something in response to genocide in Sudan, Brandeis undergraduate student Daniel Millenson founded a nationwide network of divestment movements — “ Sudan Divestment Task Force.” Daniel’s key insight was to bring together the many existing movements on college campuses throughout the country to work together and pool resources. He also formulated a targeted divestment model that is both economically smart and politically effective — it maximizes the impact on the Sudanese government while minimizing the economic impact on participating colleges and universities.

In the past year, Task Force students have been involved in decisions taken by eight schools to divest Schools taking part in this campaign include Amherst College Simmons College, the University of California , and the University of Southern California. The Task Force students are pressing divestment bills in Providence, New Haven, and Los Angeles. They helped pass a divestment bill in Maine, and they’re pushing for bills in 10 other states. They’ve received national press attention and have raised the resources to hire a full-time staff member to advance their work.

Campus Progress is proud to support the Sudan Divestment Task Force, and pleased to present the group with this award.

Best Student Organizing of an Event: “Mic Check: The Hip Hop Generation Has Something to Say” and Cedric Shine, Temple University

Cedric Shine recently graduated from Temple University, where he was a student organizer, president of the National Pan Hellenic Council, and president of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Cedric was the lead organizer for Campus Progress’s event “Mic Check: The Hip Hop Generation Has Something to Say” at Temple University this past semester. Through his superb organizational and leadership skills, Cedric arranged for seven progressive organizations to sign on as co-sponsors to stage this event for an ethnically diverse audience of approximately 300 people, including some of Temple’s most active and engaged students, faculty members, high school students, activists from the Philadelphia community, and campus media. Due to the success of this event, Campus Progress decided to host a hip-hop and social change panel discussion at the 2006 National Student Conference and is planning more panels for the upcoming semester. We’re pleased to recognize the work of Cedric and other Temple students for Best Student Organizing of an Event.

CampusProgress.org Contributor of the Year: Bryan Collinsworth, Sarah Lawrence College

Bryan Collinsworth is the CampusProgress.org contributor of the year. Bryan graduated from Sarah Lawrence College this past year, and is now the student outreach co-coordinator for the Genocide Intervention Network. With his sharp writing style, Bryan has dissected issues ranging from religion and evolution, to gay rights and immigration. He also did a memorable interview with Markos Moulitsas of the “Daily Kos.”. Bryan demonstrates a level of thoughtfulness, and understanding of nuance, that is far too rare in political debate these days. His articles for CampusProgress.org have been picked up by top Web blogs and other Web sites, in addition to being featured in CampusProgress.org’s print editions. CampusProgress.org is pleased to announce that it has added Bryan to its masthead as a contributing writer, and is proud to give him this award.