2019 Story of the Year finalists

Associated Collegiate Press has announced its finalists for the 2019 Story of the Year competition.

All finalists will be recognized and the winners announced for the first time at the ACP/CMA National College Media Convention, Oct. 31-Nov. 3, 2019, in Washington, D.C., on Saturday afternoon.

First- through fifth-place winners will receive plaques, and five honorable mention winners will receive certificates.

Finalists are shown below in alphabetical order by state.

RELATED: 2019 Individual Award Finalists
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Breaking News Story

Michael Santone
Process tainted: Search yields finalists with background of sexual assault
The Advocate
Contra Costa College

Fernando Haro, Omar Rashad, Jun Ueda
Homeless encampment removed from Dominguez Channel; residents displaced
The Union
El Camino College

Kat Schuster, Sarah Vehrs
VP of Student Affairs remains on leave pending investigation
Daily 49er
California State University, Long Beach

Ada Wood
SGA Vice President: Jones tried to pay for my vote
The Signal
Georgia State University

Brynn Mechem
Ball State Theta Chi chapter shut down by national board
The Ball State Daily News
Ball State University

Marissa Payne
UI pays nearly $4 million to keep Modern Piping off new project
The Daily Iowan
University of Iowa

Aidan Ryan
Kavanaugh Will Not Return to Teach at Harvard Law School
The Harvard Crimson
Harvard College

Nick Hazelrigg
OU employs law firm to investigate misreporting of alumni donations
The OU Daily
University of Oklahoma

Hannah Lathen, Hannah Onder
Cox suspended 11 days before first football game
Texas Wesleyan University

Staff
U track athlete killed in shooting on campus
The Daily Utah Chronicle
University of Utah


In-Depth News Story

Eduardo Medina
I don’t want to leave. I built this house: What happens when student housing forces African-Americans from their homes
The Auburn Plainsman
Auburn University

Lindsey Boyd
Spartan Daily
San Jose State University
Millions misused: San Jose allegedly mishandled $6.3 million per documents

Jordyn Matez, Sean Porter
Eagle News
Florida Gulf Coast University
The politics behind mental health

Laurel Demkovich
Eminent domain:
After their land was seized to make room for a new highway, families are crushed under the weight of progress
Indiana Daily Student
Indiana University

Julia Shanahan
Insulin: A fatal price tag
The Daily Iowan
University of Iowa

Rick Childress
‘I don’t need therapy’:
Plagued by his past, student veteran continually rejected help
Kentucky Kernel
University of Kentucky

Melissa Frick
Exploring the dark side of Greek Life:
FOIA request details more than a decade of accusations against Phi Sigma Phi
Central Michigan Life
Central Michigan University

Graham Dickie, Raven Rentas
Slipping through the cracks of the U.S-Canada border
The NewsHouse
Syracuse University

Michael Tobin
Mold, maintenance requests common occurrences in university East Campus Housing
Daily Emerald
University of Oregon

Staff
Tuition increase will pay for textbooks
The Brookhaven Courier
Brookhaven College


Feature Story

Maria Gamez
Seeking purpose in pain
Pursuit
California Baptist University

Laurel Deppen
A life of service: Student served as aide to George H.W. Bush
College Heights Herald
Western Kentucky University

Phi Chu
Tending to death
Talisman
Western Kentucky University

Jacob Eads
Two among thousands: Meeting Sean Culley and Taylor Nolan
Kentucky Kernel
University of Kentucky

Nell Fitzgerald
First female professors ‘complicate’ the classroom
The Bowdoin Orient
Bowdoin College

Chase Michaelson
The man who brought King to MSU
The State News
Michigan State University

Isabella Nurt
UB students are spending big on fake IDs
The Spectrum
University at Buffalo

Brianna Schreurs
40 years of flavor
The Collegian
South Dakota State University

Jenna Alton
Anti-vaccination movement threatens global health
Daily Universe
Brigham Young University

Elisabeth O’Donnell
In the shadow of scandal: Priests reflect on brotherhood and the sins of the church
The Defender
Saint Michael’s College


Sports Game Story

Tyler Roush
Heartbreak: Auburn’s magical season ends at Final Four
The Auburn Plainsman
Auburn University

Cullen Holt
Lancers take down UCR in crosstown showdown
The Banner
California Baptist University

Ildar Sabirov
Gators offense finally clicks to blank Toros
Golden Gate Xpress
San Francisco State University

Aaron Jones
McGhee breaks strikeout record in sweep
The Metropolitan
Metropolitan State University of Denver

Keegan Casteel
Soccer falls short in PBC championship to PKs
The Colonnade
Georgia College

Luke Wilhelm
Back to back! Cardinals rout Walla Walla to secure another NWAC title
The Sentinel
North Idaho College

Jack Warrick
The axe is back
Minnesota Daily
University of Minnesota

Ross Burkhart
Longhorns pull off Oklahoma upset in Red River classic
The Daily Texan
University of Texas at Austin

Colton McWilliams
Texas State loses heartbreaker
The University Star
Texas State University

Angel Franco
One for the 12th man
The Battalion
Texas A&M University


Sports Feature Story

Nathan King
Behind the scenes as Auburn coped with heartbreak and celebrated history
The Auburn Plainsman
Auburn University

Bella Ross
NFL draft prospect from SDSU accused of emotional, physical abuse
The Daily Aztec
San Diego State University

Sarah Verschoor
A racist trustee’s name was taken off an IU gym.
Supporters want Bill Garrett’s name on it to right history.
Indiana Daily Student
Indiana University

Blake Sandlin
Making Morant:
Ja Morant’s ascent from small town kid to big stage star
The Murray State News
Murray State University

Andy Backstrom
Whiplash: In back-to-back years, Logan Hutsko sustained a C6 vertebrae fracture and a bipartite patella, only to return to the ice last fall and finish the season as the Eagles’ leading scorer.
The Heights
Boston College

K.J. Edelman
An honest living: How David Falk revolutionized the sports agent industry
The Daily Orange
Syracuse University

Matthew Gutierrez
The making of Adrian Autry, SU basketball’s second-in-command
The NewsHouse
Syracuse University

Henry Palatella
MVP, 8-time all star, almost Golden Flash
The Kent Stater
Kent State University

George Stoia
Concussions, consequence and conscience:
OU football great Rickey Dixon reflects on Hall of Fame career that’s killing him
The OU Daily
University of Oklahoma

Griffin Reilly, Darienne Stiyer
Changing the game: Meet the new generation of women wrestlers redefining the sport
FLUX
University of Oregon


Editorial

Staff
de la Torre’s $162,000 inauguration was excessive

The Daily Aztec
San Diego State University

Joshua Sanchez
No on GO, You’re Being Played
SAC.Media
Mt. San Antonio College

Natalie Hanson
University urging ‘relocation’ of low-barrier shelter a disappointment
The Orion
California State University, Chico

Staff
Satoshi Kanazawa does not belong on Northwestern’s campus
The Daily Northwestern
Northwestern University

John Clere
We stand against the SGA senator’s bathroom proposal. You should, too.
The Horizon
Indiana University Southeast

Matthew Kelly
WSU deserves to meet its presidential finalists
The Sunflower
Wichita State University

Rafael Garcia, Kyle Hampel, Olivia Rogers
After KSUnite, K-State must back up lofty words with real action
The Collegian
Kansas State University

Staff
What idolizing Luke Heimlich says about the OSU community
The Barometer
Oregon State University

Staff
The college admissions process is broken, and Penn is no exception
The Daily Pennsylvanian
The University of Pennsylvania

Staff
TPUSA has a right to free speech but not attention
The University Star
Texas State University


Column

Anabelle Childers
Survivor recounts borderline shooting
Pepperdine Graphic
Pepperdine University

Carolina Diaz
My OCD brain: A look at the obsessive compulsive brain, the role of medication and alternative forms of therapy — from a personal perspective
Xpress Magazine
San Francisco State University

Robert Clinton
Techno terror: The Silicon Valley take over
The Advocate
Contra Costa College

Jonathan Pressley
Amendment 4 restores student voting rights
FSW Compass
Florida SouthWestern State College

Tyler Spinosa
Why it is easier to weaponize language than admit you are wrong
The Connector
Savannah College of Art and Design, Atlanta

Renee Simmons
Permission: Why I didn’t see myself as a sexual assault survivor until I was allowed to be one
The Saber
Columbus State University

Isabella Rosario
Doctors said it was all in my head. I actually had POTS
The Daily Iowan
University of Iowa

Hannah Kueck
With the curve: A look into life with Scoliosis
Stephens Life
Stephens College

Henry Mureithi
Speaking on blackface and past behavior
The Battalion
Texas A&M University

Caitlin Holmquist
My butt is one tenth Kim Kardashian’s
The Defender
Saint Michael’s College


Diversity Story

Geoffrey Scot
Black students seek agency, vote
Golden Gate Xpress
San Francisco State University

Katy Stegall
Take me to church
The Sun
Southwestern College

Amal Ben Ghanem
No longer afraid: A gay man’s journey to forgive and forget
Etc. Magazine
City College of San Francisco

Noah Shoaf
Reaching out with love and understanding
The Ke Alaka’i
Brigham Young University-Hawaii

Logan Potter
Seeking identity in a diversity crisis
The Arbiter
Boise State University

Alexandra Yetter
Casting controversy sparks student discourse on representation
The Chronicle
Columbia College Chicago

Sabrina Abrams
Peabody’s black students report discrimination
The Johns Hopkins News-Letter
Johns Hopkins University

Katy Gilbertson
The Gender and Sexuality Center: 8 of 10 leaders leave amid leadership turnover
The Carletonian
Carleton College

Emma Wolf
Reclaiming a life in color
FLUX
University of Oregon

Lauren Johnson
Breaking the language barrier
Arches
Mount Mary University