Millikin University

Millikin University's student-run newspaper, the Decaturian, garnered several awards at the annual Illinois College Press Association (ICPA) conference, held March 18-20 in Chicago. The Decaturian took home 17 awards in the under 4,000 circulation category at the ICPA conference, surpassing the Dec's 15 ICPA awards in 2021. As an entire staff, The Decaturian won third place in General Excellence and third in the Sweepstakes category for points earned across all contest categories. Jeana Pierson, a senior English writing major with a criminal justice minor, and editor-in-chief of the Decaturian, earned first place honors for Headline Writing. Sydney Sinks, a senior English writing major, reporter and editor for the Decaturian, earned two first-place awards for her in-depth reporting and a second-place honor for her editorial work. Carin Houser, a sophomore secondary English education major, writer and editor for the Decaturian, won three ICPA awards. Houser earned first place for her Spot News Photo of a firetruck; she was a member of a team that received third place for multimedia reporting, and she won second place for Sports Page Design. Below is the complete list of the Decaturian's Illinois College Press Association award recipients: 1st Place Charlize Pate, Feature Photo (Clock Tower) Jeana Pierson, Headline Writing Sydney Sinks, In-Depth Reporting Sydney Sinks, News Story Mason Hoyt, Column (Music) Carin Houser, Spot Photo (Firetruck) 2nd Place Sports Page Design (Carin Houser) Editorial (Sydney Sinks) 3rd Place Online News Site (All Staff) Multimedia Reporting (Athena Pajer, Carin Houser and Cole Anderson) Sports Column (Brandt Williamson) Sports Game Story (Caleb Buehrle) News Story (Athena Pajer) Honorable Mention Front Page Layout (All Staff) Feature Page Design (All Staff)

Millikin University student attorneys were recognized for their work at the 2022 Model Illinois Government (MIG) Moot Court Competition held March 3-6 at the Wyndham Springfield City Centre in downtown Springfield, Ill. The MIG Moot Court competition simulates arguments at the Illinois Supreme Court level. During the competition, teams of attorneys argue their case before a panel of student justices and legal professionals. This year, five Millikin student attorneys participated in the annual Moot Court Competition. Gillian Beginski, a senior double majoring in philosophy (pre-law track) and political science from Mundelein, Ill., participated on a hybrid team where she was paired with a student from Eastern Illinois University. Beginski's team advanced to the semifinal round of the competition. The team of Collin Budd, a senior majoring in philosophy (pre-law track) from Arcola, Ill., and Olivia Swords, a first-year student from Decatur, Ill., double majoring in philosophy (pre-law track) and English writing, and pursuing a French minor, also advanced to the semifinal round. The team of Hannah Prochnow, a junior double majoring in philosophy (pre-law track) and environmental studies from Bloomington, Ill., and Isabella Voss, a junior majoring in management information systems and pursuing a philosophy pre-law minor from Lockport, Ill., advanced to the final round and took second place overall. In addition to the outstanding team performances, Collin Budd was honored with the individual award for Most Outstanding Attorney. Budd was also elected to serve as Chief Justice for the 2022-23 year. In this capacity, he will provide organizational leadership for the 2023 competition.

Eight political science students from Millikin University attended the 2022 Model Illinois Government (MIG) Simulation March 3-6 which aims to give college students insight into the workings of state government and experience in running for elected office and debate. Students representing Millikin's legislative delegation worked to adapt their debate techniques, lobbying procedures and strategies for running for office, all leading to a successful simulation. Sophomore political science major Rhys Deiter of Fortville, Ind., served as the Attorney General on the organization's executive board for the simulation. Gabby Watson, a junior political science major from Murphysboro, Ill., served as a member of Deiter's staff and assisted with both the MIG journal and original legislation. Students Austin Bicknell, a senior from Bloomington, Ill., and Ana Vidric, were both elected to serve as committee spokespeople during the simulation. Vidric was recognized for her excellence in debate by receiving the Donna Lennon Award for the Most Outstanding Senate Committee Person. Other Millikin students who participated in Model Illinois Government include: Aimable Ngabo, a senior political science major from Kigali, Rwanda Jesse Ngoga, a management information systems major from Kigali, Rwanda Christian Strother, a junior from Cordova, Tenn. Clayton Bartlett, a junior exploratory studies major from Mahomet, Ill.