Six members of the Ames community are being rewarded for speaking out on controversial topics.

Three journalists, two faculty members and the former editor of The Ames Tribune have been named Don Biggs Constructive Critics of the Year by the Committee on the State of Iowa State.

“We wanted to encourage and reward the people who have the courage to stand up,” said Bill Kunerth, co-founder of the committee. “We look for people who deal with important issues and take rational positions on sensitive issues.”

Ed Snook, senior in English and member of the call.to/jischke campaign, was lauded for his reporting in alternative newspaper The Drummer about whether ISU President Martin Jischke’s membership on Banker’s Trust is a conflict of interest.

The organization of a “free-speech day” at Iowa State by Luke DeKoster, senior in journalism and mass communication, caught the committee’s attention.

“I think it’s a really big honor because anybody can be a critic, and if somebody thinks that I’m speaking out constructively, then I think that’s a pretty high compliment,” DeKoster said. “I guess what I do is important, but I don’t think what I do is very spectacular. I just say what I think.”

Sara Ziegler, senior in journalism and mass communication and editor in chief of the Iowa State Daily, was one of the recipients. The committee cited the newspaper’s “comprehensive coverage of important campus issues” and “provocative editorials.”

Chris Schilling, associate professor of materials science and engineering, will be honored for his establishment of “Faculty Values,” an Internet chat line in which campus issues are discussed.

Suzanne Guess, temporary English instructor, will receive the award for her public protestation of working conditions and pay scales of non-tenured faculty members.

Michael Gartner, former co-owner of The Tribune, was recognized for the role the newspaper played in “monitoring the activities of public officials and for editorials that dealt effectively with serious issues, especially on the Iowa State campus,” according to the committee.

In order to nominate an individual, a person must provide the committee with the nominee’s name and explain why he or she deserves the award, said Kunerth, professor emeritus of journalism and mass communication.

Each year, the committee receives about a dozen nominations and chooses four or five to honor.

This year, more candidates were honored than in previous years, said awards chairman Bruce Smith. “This was an especially active year for robust dialogue on the campus,” said Smith, professor of art and design. “As a result, our group is recognizing more persons than usual.”

The committee, made up of active and retired ISU faculty, staff and alumni, was established 12 years ago to “help maintain a broad based and quality education at Iowa State University,” Kunerth said.

The annual award, now in its 10th year, is named for the late Don Biggs, professor of geology and co-founder of the Committee on the State of Iowa State University.

Recipients will be honored in a ceremony held at noon on May 2 at St. John’s Episcopal Church and Student Center, 2338 Lincoln Way. The ceremony is open to the public.