Editor-in-Chief of The Campus Newspaper Ethan Woodfill, ’22, recently won an honorable mention in the column category for the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association’s Student Keystone Media Awards.

“It’s an honor to be recognized by the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association,” Woodfill said. “I think it more broadly speaks to the quality of work we do at The Campus.”

Woodfill joined staff in the spring of 2019, serving as a news editor and later an opinion editor before assuming the role of Editor-in-Chief in the fall of 2020.

“(Woodfill) has been a really consistent and steady presence in the newsroom,” said Assistant Professor of English and Advisor to The Campus Mike Crowley. “He’s not the most outspoken member of The Campus’ staff, but he is unrelenting in his drive and in his demand that everyone upholds the paper’s standards.”

The award required the submission of three separate bylined columns by the same author. Woodfill’s three stories included A day in the life of a college student in the age of coronavirus, Australian fires are just the beginning and Safety improvements needed for N. Main St.

“These columns respond to important issues at both the local and global level and they do so in a style that’s entertaining and thoughtful,” Crowley said. “Ethan’s take on the beginning of the pandemic especially stands out to me. Published just after Allegheny students learned they would spend the rest of spring semester learning from home, it offers an insightful and ultimately reassuring look at how he was adapting.”

Crowley attributed part of Woodfill’s success to The Campus staff’s drive to provide a high-quality public service to their community.

“It would be easy to imagine unpaid college journalists confronted with a pandemic, remote attendance and the challenges of reporting on campus events without being able to be there in person just phoning it in or even taking a break from reporting for a semester,” Crowley said. “Ethan’s leadership has been a huge factor in The Campus not only continuing to do its job, but consistently informing the Allegheny community and pursuing important stories.”

Through the recognition of his accomplishments, Woodfill hopes to inspire other Allegheny community members to come forward and strive to share in the same way he did.

“Student voices are so important, and I hope that more students see The Campus as a platform to voice their experiences, especially for marginalized students who have different experiences than us,” Woodfill said. “The Campus makes a big impact on our community. Important figures read and respect The Campus, and all students deserve to have their voices heard.”