Brian Steffen, academic advisor at Simpson University

Andrea is aggressive, enterprising and exhibits great leadership skills in her work as editor in chief of The Simpsonian. Her newspaper takes on tough stories involving college finances and criminal charges against students. That’s not always comfortable for student journalists at small colleges, but Andrea knows her responsibilities and covers the news accurately and fairly.

Last summer, she drove four hours from her home in northwest Iowa back to Des Moines, near our campus, to cover a Sam Brownback for President rally, not only as a print journalist but also as a freelance videographer for C-SPAN. She also contributed to the Associated Press’ coverage of the Iowa caucuses. She’s shown that students who go to small liberal arts colleges are every bit as talented, aggressive and enterprising as those who attend major state universities.

I noted once to her that most of our journalism students don’t go into journalism per se — the prospects of long hours and low pay weed most of them out by the time they graduate. Why is Andrea persisting, after spending four years learning about every way that journalism is struggling to keep its place in a democratic culture? “I really have to do this,” she told us, getting a little emotional as she spoke. “It’s in my bones. I have to get stories out.”

Brittany Friesth, reporter for The Simpsonian

While only having been a reporter for Andrea the past semester, I admire her loyalty to journalism. This past semester she faced a difficult decision of deciding whether to run a story covering a domestic assault occurring on campus involving charges against a sorority president. Being one of two reporters covering the occurrence, I saw the personal difficulty Andrea faced with publishing the story on a smaller campus where a majority of students know one another. Faced with deciding whether or not to publish names, or even if it should run at all, Andrea weathered both support and criticism with her decision to publish the story. Not only did I respect my editor before her decision, but I did so even more due to the professional manner in which she handled criticism from those unhappy with her decision.

Emily Schettler, copy editor for the Simpsonian

Andrea has been an inspiration for me as a journalist. She has been able to gain respect from Simpson professors and administrators alike, making them easy to work with. I have worked with her all year, but I got to know her really well while covering the Iowa Caucuses for the Associated Press. It was my first experience working for something other than the college paper. She made me feel much more comfortable. Andrea was confident in her work and was able to jump into the project from the very beginning. Andrea has also pushed me to become a better writer. I have been able to look to Andrea as a role model and teacher as I try to improve my own skills.

Source | The Simpsonian
With a record-setting turnout, it's no wonder that several candidates at Sunday's 30th annual Harkin Steak Fry compared the landscape of the event to the "field of dreams." According to Jesse Harris, a representative with Citizens for Harkin, the event drew in more than 14,000 enthusiasts.

Source | The Simpsonian
I wish I could tell you I was writing this column completely focused on you, the reader. But I'm not. At this very moment, I am simultaneously working on the newspaper, listening to my iPod, talking to two graphic designers and going through the running list of things I plan to do if and when I ever leave the Simpsonian lab.

Source | Roll Call
To meet Mary Kay Ricks is to meet a woman who speaks about history much like she writes about it. Using sweeping movements with her hands, she describes the ebb and flow of Washington, D.C.’s history, and more specifically the way in which, in 1848, the passengers on the Pearl attempted the largest slavery escape of the Underground Railroad in U.S. history, with a mix of flowing gestures and the punctuation of pertinent points with her fingertips.