The Vermont Legislature recognized UVM’s student newspaper, The Vermont Cynic, for journalistic excellence Feb. 21. The proclamation comes on the heels of The Cynic winning the 2011 Pacemaker, widely considered the top award in collegiate journalism.

About a dozen current and former Cynic staff members traveled to Montpelier to receive the proclamation, which was read in the house chamber and accompanied by applause from Vermont’s representatives.

“I’m so proud of what the Cynic accomplished with the Pacemaker Award,” Rep. Kesha Ram, D-Burlington, who presented the Cynic staffers, wrote in an email. “I had a legislative resolution drafted up congratulating you all.

“If it’s something as important as this, we will often invite the group we’re congratulating to come to the State House and have the resolution read and the group introduced.”

The resolution — H.C.R. 246 — noted that “the newly energized Cynic has demonstrated that it can ferret a good story."

About half of the Cynic’s current editorial board was on hand to accept the award. Among them were Cynic Editor-in-Chief Brent Summers and Managing Editor Corrie Roe.