Every year, The Oakland Post submits entries to the Michigan Press Association, a trade association consisting of nearly 320 in-state newspapers.

In the 2010 College Contest, The Post won eleven awards, including first place in general excellence, in Division II, which  consists of weekly student newspapers at four-year universities.

Additionally, The Post took first, second and third place in the column-writing category, with a variety of submissions.

Former reporter Jennifer Wood’s column, “Survivor’s recovery begins with the right resources” and Local Editor Annie Stodola’s piece entitled “Organ donation affects more than just the ill,” took first and third place, respectively, with their from the heart stories of personal tragedy. Second place winner “Having ha-has about ta-tas,” by former Mouthing Off editor Dan Simons, took a humorous approach to cancer awareness promotion.

March’s center feature documenting the men’s basketball team’s victory at the Summit League Tournament, “Oakland of Champions,” designed by Jason Willis and written by former Sports Editor Dan Fenner, won first place for sports page design.

“Courtroom to dorm room,” an investigative report by former reporter Mas Rahman on Micah Fialka-Feldman’s quest for campus residency, also took first place.

The Post also earned recognition for the following articles:

• Fenner’s “Racking up school records” and former reporters Sean Garner and Zach Hallman’s “Grizzlies on the Gridiron” recieved second place and an honorable mention, respectively, in the sports/news features category.

• “No confidence in vote,” penned by former Editor-in-Chief Colleen J. Miller, took third place in editorial writing.

• Former Ads manager Mallory Lapanowski’s house ad entry won first place.

• Rahman’s “Addict hits ‘rock bottom'” won second place in feature stories.

Last year, The Post won a total of five awards in addition to a General Excellence nod.

This time around, judges praised The Post because it “stood out due to its use of graphics and eye-catching design.”

We hope our paper stands out even more this year after completely overhauling design and layouts that had gone unchanged for many years.

But while we appreciate the feedback of the judges, we’re more interested in hearing from our readers. It’s your turn to critique us.

What are we doing right? What can we do better? What big stories are we missing?  What would you like to see more of? What could you stand to see less of?

The aforementioned stories are your stories too. And with over 19,000 students currently enrolled at OU, we now have more stories to tell than ever.

Please comment on our website and our Facebook page. Direct message us on Twitter. E-mail us. Or if social media isn’t your thing, send us an old-fashioned letter or stop by our office.

We’re always here, constantly looking to find ways we can improve. And though we respect the opinion of MPA judges, we want to hear directly from the students we’re serving.