SUTV wins second Emmy award

SHIPPENSBURG - It's become almost a given that Shippensburg University's student-run broadcasting station will be nominated for awards for its content.

But winning an Emmy and being recognized as one of the best college television stations in the Mid-Atlantic region this year was frosting on the cake for SUTV faculty adviser Dr. Kim Garris and the team of student television journalists and producers who keep their school and community informed about news on campus.

SUTV is broadcast to the Shippensburg community on Comcast Channel 82 and on campus on SU's Channel 28.

This year's Emmy, given by the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, was the station's second, but being nominated for such awards has become a tradition for the school's student journalists, who have been nominated eight times in the last five years.

"There are only a small number of awards for colleges, so just to be nominated is an honor," Garris said.

While she is proud of the work her students do to earn those nominations and awards, she is also quick to point out that many of them go on to professional careers that bring them awards and recognition as a result of the training and experience they gained in the SUTV studios.

"Quite often our alumni will go pro and win lots of awards," she said.

This year's Emmy in the College/University Student Production division, Public Affairs/Community Service category went to SUTV and student journalist Holly Harrar for her hour-long segment "Inclusion in Action: GMU."

The program was the second in a three-part series about the disabled community, something dear to Harrar's heart.

"I've been an active volunteer with the disabled community since I was little," she said. "So I wanted to know about colleges and universities with inclusion policies that would provide opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to integrate into college life."

When she heard that George Mason University in Virginia had a program that focused on doing that, she decided to take a look at it.

"I jumped at the chance (to find out how it worked), and couldn't wait to tell Ship all about it," she said.

Garris accompanied her to the Virginia university, and when they got back fellow students at SUTV worked with her to put the segment together.

While the rest of the team credit Harrar's drive with the success of the series, and the Emmy-winning segment, Harrar and Garris say every production at the station is a team effort, and award wouldn't be possible without working together.

"One of the driving forces was Holly," said SU Junior Jake Gillespie, who was part of the team that put the series together during the last school year.

Gillespie also credits Garris' leadership and guidance in making the student television station something that is watched not only by students on campus, but the entire Shippensburg community through its cable channel available on Comcast.

"She is honestly one of the best advisers you could ever ask for," he said. "She really knows how to maximize everyone's potential."

Garris praises the drive and dedication of the students who run the station.

"I don't control what they do, I guide them," she said.

Part of that guidance is preparing them for the world they will encounter in the workplace after graduation. So when they enter a competition, it is with pieces that have run on SUTV for local audiences, without any changes.

"I do not let them rehearse or redo so they can clean up their work for an award," she said. "I tell them that in the real world, you don’t get a second chance with your content."

Their entries are from work produced under real world working conditions. They work with a small staff and limited equipment, but are competitive and win, she said, calling her students "the scrappiest, most prepared graduates in our region."

This year SUTV was nominated in two categories.

In addition to Harrar's winning entry, Zach Salsgiver was nominated in the sports coverage category for his coverage of a "Make A Wish" basketball game on campus last February and the presentation of a Disney World vacation package to 5-year-old Jay Dawson during half-time ceremonies.

In that segment, he was able to capture the terminally-ill boy's excitement and the crowd's enthusiasm for the cause.

Although his entry didn't win an Emmy, he said that just to be included in the competition was proof of how hard everyone worked.

In 2012, Brandon Bubba Smith, who now works as a photojournalist for CBS21 in Harrisburg, won an Emmy in the sports category for his entry, "Red Raider Goes for the Gold."

Vicky Taylor, 717-262-4754