Coast Report, OCC’s Student Paper, Wins 7 Awards

Coast Report, the student newspaper at Orange Coast College, captured seven awards--including first place for investigative reporting--at the annual Journalism Assn. of Community Colleges’ competition at Fresno State University.

Nearly 600 students from more than 50 California, Arizona and Nevada community colleges participated in the Friday and Saturday contest, which featured mail-in categories and on-the-spot categories.

“We’re feeling pretty good over here,” newspaper advisor Tom Murphine said.

Danica Sierra, former associate editor of Coast Report, won the general excellence award in investigative news reporting, the competition’s most prestigious prize, for her 1996 series on textbooks being priced higher in the school bookstore than they are off campus, Murphine said. Sierra has since transferred to Cal State Fullerton.

Student Eric Rodriguez placed first in on-the-spot color photography for a picture of a couple kissing at Cal State Fresno.

Sekhar Nabhan, co-editor of the paper, took second place in the best news story category. Nabhan also won a $250 first-place scholarship for community college students at the Orange County Press Club banquet in Anaheim on Sunday.

Other Coast Report winners in Fresno were photographer Harold Beibin with an honorable mention in sports feature photography; Jacques Laffoon with an honorable mention in editorial cartooning; Amiee Fukumoto with an honorable mention in opinion writing; and Nooshin Zardinejad and Eric Rodriguez with an honorable mention in team feature writing and photography.