By Morgan Lloyd, campus editor
Journalism students looking for professional resources and connections can now join the new Northeastern chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
Northeastern’s chapter is one of three in Boston for the Society of Professional Journalists, or SPJ, which describes itself as “dedicated to the perpetuation of a free press as the cornerstone of our nation and our liberty.”
“I think it’s important to get the word out there that this is such an important resource for not just journalists, but also anybody that supports the free press,” said Jenna Ciccotelli, the treasurer for the chapter and a second-year journalism major.
The chapter, which was approved as a campus organization Jan. 23, has been in development since last fall. Alejandro Serrano, the vice president of SPJ and a third-year journalism major, said the chapter’s leadership team hopes to provide a place for all journalists on campus to connect.
“We want to pretty much create a community for all journalism students, because at least in our personal experiences, the different publications don’t interact that much,” Serrano said. “We want to provide a space where we could all come together and pretty much work together for what we believe in as journalism undergrads.”
SPJ is the oldest and largest professional organization of journalists in the country. It started in 1909 as a journalistic fraternity called Sigma Delta Chi and has now grown to around 9,000 members.
The national organization also publishes its own magazine, called Quill, about issues related to journalism.
“It’s like the Columbia Journalism Review, except it’s for the SPJ, so it’s analysis of stuff, featured articles from students and professionals just sort of talking about various subjects important to journalism,” said Corey Dockser, the scheduling coordinator of the chapter and first-year journalism major.
The annual membership fee for a college student is $37.50. Although Ciccotelli said she thought the price might turn some students away, she ultimately felt membership was worth the cost.
“I think people will look at it and kind of say ‘Wait, I don’t want to shill out that much money to be a part of this,’” Ciccotelli said. “But we’re hoping that they realize the potential that they have to grow as reporters and students and just people, through the events and the resources that being a member of SPJ will offer to them. I think that it’s so worth it.”
SPJ chapters also exist at Boston University, Emerson College and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and there is a New England chapter for professionals.
The Northeastern chapter has plans to start hosting events to provide more resources to journalism students on campus.
“I know we’re talking about doing a resume workshop, and we’re talking about doing movie nights,” Ciccotelli said. “Maybe also a kind of open house type thing to have all the campus publications come together so that way students can see all the resources that are available to them.”
In addition, the chapter plans to work on building relationships between reporters and the general public.
“Yes, we’re the Society of Professional Journalists but we’re not limited to anybody that is a journalist and we want to be able to foster relationships between reporters and the people that they serve in their role,” Ciccotelli said. “I think it’s important for everybody to take a look at this and see the important work that we’re hoping to do.”
Editor’s Note: All leadership members of the Society of Professional Journalists are or were affiliated with The News. Additionally, several members of The News have signed up for the chapter’s OrgSync membership.
