DePaul’s Society of Professional Journalists chapter is taking applications for its five board positions for next year. Why take a leadership role in SPJ? Here are just a few reasons:
- Meet and network with professional journalists in Chicago, across the U.S. and worldwide
- Gain opportunities for training, workshops and leadership development
- Plan DePaul journalism events and make connections with students across the journalism program and in student media
- Attend valuable journalism conferences
- Become part of a team that has earned recognition as National Campus Chapter of the Year or runner-up five times in the past 10 years
This year, SPJ organized conversations with legendary music journalist Jim DeRogatis, DePaul alum and sports producer Aaron Lee, international war correspondent Mike Giglio, magazine journalist and novelist Ellen Alpsten, Vice documentary filmmaker Matt Shea, and true-crime journalist Maggie Freleng. They joined us from Chicago, Houston, New York and even from London a couple of times!
To apply, email a short letter explaining your interest and what you’d like to do with the position, along with your resume, to amerric1@depaul.edu by Friday, May 21.
Officer Election and Service
New officers will take over in the spring quarter. You must be enrolled as a full-time DePaul student and be a member of SPJ National and SPJ DePaul to be eligible for a position. Students graduating at the end of fall quarter are not eligible. Officers should be available for weekly or biweekly board meetings as well as chapter events.
All executive board members may attend the SPJ national and regional conferences, which may be virtual or in person in 2021-22. Past regional conferences have been held in Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Louisville. Most travel and event registration expenses are paid for by the chapter’s budget.
Check out @spjonadepaul on Twitter and Instagram to learn more about the organization.
Job Descriptions
President
The president oversees the overall operations for the DePaul chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists/Online News Association. Candidates should be organized, creative and resourceful. The president is expected to attend regional and national SPJ conferences. The president will help plan events that will be useful for our members; develop ways to increase chapter membership; and network with professional journalists, student organization leaders and others to expand our presence on campus and throughout Chicago.
Vice President/Events Coordinator
The vice president will assist in coordinating all functions of the organization and will perform the duties of the president in the president’s absence. The vice president also will oversee the secretary/treasurer, membership coordinator and social media coordinator. The vice president/events coordinator also will handle these responsibilities:
- Track progress of events and have coordinators send weekly updates
- Assist chapter president and adviser to schedule speakers, meeting rooms and event logistics
- Design promotional materials for SPJ events
- Help recruit new members
Secretary/Treasurer
The person filling this position will handle the duties of both the secretary and treasurer.
The secretary will keep minutes of all meetings, maintain the organization website and chapter calendar, and complete the chapter annual report. The secretary also will handle these responsibilities:
- Set chapter meeting agendas with the president
- Assist the president with administrative duties for meetings and events
- Help recruit new members
The treasurer will coordinate the chapter’s funds, in cooperation with the DePaul Office of Student Involvement and the chapter president and adviser. The treasurer also will handle these responsibilities:
- Assist with travel arrangements for the SPJ regional and national conferences
- Work with the chapter president and adviser to track the budget
- Help recruit new members
Membership/ONA Coordinator
The membership/ONA coordinator shall serve as the coordinator of the chapter’s members and develop the chapter’s relationship with the Online News Association. The membership/ONA coordinator will handle these responsibilities:
- Recruit new members at the beginning of each quarter and throughout the year
- Book tables at the campus undergraduate and graduate involvement fairs
- Contact SPJ/ONA DePaul members and keep them updated on chapter news
- Act as the liaison with the Online News Association, and develop events related to online journalism and technology
Social Media/Publicity Coordinator
The social media coordinator will handle these responsibilities:
- Maintain the @spjonadepaul social media accounts
- Work with the secretary/treasurer and membership coordinator to publicize events to chapter members and DePaul students
- Promote upcoming events to campus and mainstream media
- Foster conversation about DePaul student media and about journalism topics such as major stories and ethics
DePaul University Society of Professional Journalists 