Diane Gallagher
Assoc. Features Editor

Millersville University’s student run newspaper, The Snapper, placed 8th in the 2013 ACP Best of Show Award for Website Design at the 92nd annual Fall Associated Collegiate Press (ACP)/ College Media Association (CMA) National College Media Convention.
The convention took place in New Orleans October 23rd through the 27th for the first time in ten years. More than 2,300 student journalists and advisers from all over the country attended the 360+ educational sessions, keynote lectures, workshops, critiques and award ceremonies.

Maria Rovito, The Snapper’s webmaster working on the website.
Maria Rovito, The Snapper’s webmaster working on the website.

Maria Rovito, associate opinion editor and Webmaster for The Snapper, said, “It shows what happens when you are dedicated. I am glad the website was finally noticed.” Rovito’s dedication shinned through, even back in high school – teaching herself how to use HTML, CSS, JavaScript and other web fundamentals.
Rovito, a sophomore English major and computer science minor, has been with The Snapper for over one year. She works for five or six hours, every Wednesday, maintaining and working on the website.
Inspired by the look of an ordinary newspaper, Rovito wanted the website to “make pictures pop by creating a simple design with mostly blacks, grays and whites.” In the future, to improve the website, Rovito plans on incorporating elements that were present in the websites that ranked higher.

The Snapper website was ranked 8th among 5,000 to 10,000 student enrollment universities in the country.
The Snapper website was ranked 8th among 5,000 to 10,000 student enrollment universities in the country.

The Snapper staff was able to take full advantage of networking with other college writers, expand their knowledge of the world of journalism through workshops, sessions of one-on one writing critiques and keynote lectures. Presenters included Alex Rawls, the founder and publisher of MySpiltMilk.com, Hoda Kotb host of the fourth hour of the “Today Show”, and Ted Jackson, who was a part of the “The Times-Picayune” staff whose Hurricane Katrina coverage won a Pulitzer for public service and another for breaking news.
All student media staffs that attended the convention were eligible to enter general excellence categories specific to their medium. The website entries were judged on general excellence in design, navigation, writing, editing, graphics and interactivity.
Visit www.TheSnapper.com to see all the hard work that Rovito and the rest of the staff have put into the website, and if you are interested in seeing the other winners sites check out http://studentpress.org/acp/winners/f13bs.html for a full list and links.