The Student Publication Association Conference 2013

As a member of an editorial team, it has become ever increasingly obvious that publications like the Wessex Scene don’t have something that the student radio or television stations have; annual conferences. Each year, Surge and SUSUtv, our university radio and television stations,  head to their conferences and award ceremonies across the country, where thousands of students involved attend the events. It’s been an obvious gap for student journalists, and there was nothing for Editors and writers of magazines and newspapers…

Until now.

On Thursday 11 April, student journalists from as far as Glasgow descended upon the University of Southampton for three days for the very first Student Publication Association Conference; or #SPANC, which was the (rather unfortunate) hashtag! The SPA was formed after students from across the country felt a support network was needed for university journalists. The conference was finally organised; a big idea was finally realised, and something big had begun!

The Wessex Scene team were very excited about the fact that a conference was coming to our very own students’ union – it meant lower costs since we didn’t need to find accommodation, and we were proud to be the very first hosts of what should be a very big event. On the evening of Thursday 11^th, seven of our editors and writers (myself included) and a number of members of The Edge  went along to the welcome party, held in The Stags, which consisted of pizza, drinks… and karaoke. This was a great ice breaker, with everyone joining in; I even had a go at singing ‘You’re the One That I Want’ from Grease with my Editor Ellie Sellwood – something I can tick off my bucket list before I leave uni! Having never done karaoke before it was a great way to do something new and to have a good time. We then went on to a night out to get to know everyone better, before heading home ready for a day of talks.

James Thornhill of the National Student giving the first talk at SPANC

On the Friday, we arrived bright and early at SUSU, and were welcomed with SPANC goodie bags (including sweets and toothpaste, naturally!)  before settling down with a coffee. First, we listened intently as James Thornhill, founder of The National Student, discussed student journalism; including the topic of independent vs. Student Union funded publications. We then had a talk on Human Rights and Ethics from journalist and Wessex Scene alumnus Elizabeth Mistry, which was inspiring and thought-provoking, since the topics included some shocking stories from around the globe. It was a great opportunity to hear professionals discuss the world of journalism both inside and outside of the student bubble – ideal for soon-to-be graduates like myself, who are thinking about the world of work!

We made plenty of notes to make sure that advice could be 

taken on board and used to help the Wessex Scene!

The next session was run by SUSU’s very own VP Communications and President Elect, David Gilani. He led a discussion about our individual publications; limitations, problems we had faced in the last year and self-representation were just a few of the topics spoken about. We were encouraged to advise others working from our own experiences, and it was fantastic to hear how some of the other student publications dealt with issues. Everyone really relaxed and spoke to each other, relishing in this rare opportunity to meet other student journalists.  This session was very inspiring and it was a great indication towards the help and support the SPA will try to provide. Journalism can lead to a lack of communication with people, since a lot of our work is done at computers and can be done alone (though you do work in a team), unlike student radio and television. This was a brilliant chance for us all to come face-to-face with problems and ideas.

Pause Editor and Editor Elect Sam Everard ready for the SPA Awards ceremony

After the final talk – a session on feature writing run by student, lawyer and freelance writer Nauman Qaiser – we left to get ready for the dinner and awards ceremony later that night. The awards ceremony itself was held in the Bridge, where we were able to eat a delicious meal before finding out which publications had won out of the ten categories available, including ‘Best Reporter’, ‘Best Publication’ and ‘Best Feature’. Over 100 publications nominated themselves for awards, and it was safe to say the competition was very tight. The Galleon, the University of Portsmouth’s publication, won five awards overall, including highly commended awards, and Best Publication went to Concrete, the publication from UEA. The most exciting part for me was obviously when the Wessex Scene won an award for ‘Best Interview’, for a piece one of our Lifestyle Editors wrote about an entrepreneurial Southampton Graduate! As you can imagine, we celebrated, and we were incredibly proud to have won one of the very first SPA awards! After the amazing awards we all headed out to continue the party at Jesters, which proved successful and allowed everyone to relax and chat to each other even more.

Editor Ellie Sellwood receiving the Wessex Scene’s award for 

Best Interview on behalf of the writer!

The members of the Wessex Scene celebrating our award, 

and also the beginning of the SPA!

The following morning saw the first SPA AGM, when the very first committee were elected. The team who were chosen will be first to start up the Student Publication Association. With an aim to act as a support network for all student publications nationwide, the SPA will be built up over time, and this team are incredibly important since they will be providing the foundations for future committees to build upon. I’m looking forward to seeing the organisation expand, and I hope to be involved in some way as an alumnus, so I can attend future conferences and to help out with other magazines and newspapers once I am no longer a student journalist, regardless of what area of work I go into. The team elected will no doubt do a brilliant job!

The new (and first!) SPA Committee, formed of student journalists 

and sabbaticals from across the country

Attending the first ever SPA conference this year was a fantastic experience and incredibly rewarding; it was so inspiring to see so many enthusiastic student journalists, who are all volunteers, striving to get the best news and stories out to their readers whilst providing an unbeatable experience to their team.  We met some very talented and driven individuals who I’m sure will make a name for themselves one day! And congratulations to David Gilani, our VP Comms at SUSU and the organiser of this incredible event – you deserve the title of founder (and the lifetime membership bestowed upon you at the AGM!) My only wish is that the SPA had been created in my first year so I could fully enjoy the benefits while at University. But alas – it’s better late than never!

I will soon be leaving my position as Deputy Editor for the Wessex Scene – the AGM is coming up, and new members will be elected. My life will definitely be emptier without the rush of editing, organising, breaking news stories and attending meetings complete with offerings of cake. In the meantime, however, we still have the EVAs (Excellence in Volunteering Awards) for which the team are nominated, and the Media Ball (on a boat! Exciting!) coming up too – and I can’t wait! Here’s to my last month as a student journalist.

Joanne