News from SUNY Cortland

For more information contact: Jean Palmer, 607-753-2232

Four Students Honored In Environmental Writing Contest At SUNY Cortland

CORTLAND, NY (05/02/2008; 1036)(readMedia)-- Three seniors and one sophomore have won top honors in SUNY Cortland’s Earthly Matters Writing Contest.

The contest is tied to “Earthly Matters,” the third yearlong series of lectures and cultural events organized around a single theme at SUNY Cortland. A writing contest will be held next year on the theme of “Inequality.”

The students read their pieces and received $100 at the Earth Day Conference that was held on April 26 in a session titled, "Neo-Vox Awards: Words for the Earth, Fabulous Performances by Cortland Writers on Earthly Matters.”

The winning papers were selected from student work submitted to Neo-Vox, SUNY Cortland’s international online student magazine. Established in 1999, Neo-Vox is a forum for the views of students from around the world on life, the arts and politics. All winning manuscripts will be published on Neo-Vox at www.neo-vox.org.

Each essay presents a unique point-of-view regarding the environment.

“The contest is a wonderful opportunity to promote both environmental issues and student writing on campus,” noted Victoria Boynton, contest chairperson and associate professor of English.

The award recipients are:

• Katie Hufnagel of North Tonawanda, N.Y., a senior English major, for her essay “The Final Days of a Falling Empire.”

• Whitney Worden of Pompey, N.Y., a senior professional writing major, for her piece titled “The Japanese are Right: Americans Don’t Know What Good Food Is.”

• Demi Paz of Staten Island, N.Y., a sophomore communication studies major with a concentration in journalism, for her work titled “Our Dependence on Technology.”

• Chikako Nishimura of Higashiosaka, Japan, a senior business economics major, for her essay titled “Food and Culture: Differences Between Japanese and American Eating.”

The Earthly Matters Writing Contest was sponsored by the Dean of Arts and Sciences Office, the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Office and the College Writing Committee.

For more information about the writing contest, contact Boynton at (607) 753-2082.

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