Two members of The Campus staff, a recent alum and their faculty adviser have all been named finalists in the 60th Golden Quill Awards. Hosted by the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania, the “Quills” celebrate professional and student journalists from 29 counties in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
“Allegheny has been fortunate to attract a group of students with a talent and passion for journalism in recent years,” Mike Crowley, assistant professor of English and faculty adviser for The Campus, wrote in an email Tuesday. “I think the most recent awards reflect not only the hard work of those individual students but a culture of professional and ethical reporting fostered by the newsroom staff from year to year.”
News Editor Anna Westbrook, ’26, is a finalist in the student news category for their story “10 Years After Drug Charges, SAE Approved to Return to Campus.” Published in the Sept. 8, 2023 edition of The Campus, the story traces the planned revival of Sigma Alpha Epsilon at Allegheny a decade after two SAE brothers pled guilty to possessing drugs and the fraternity voluntarily left campus.
“I remember what it felt like to be in The Campus’ Contributing Writers meeting for the first time, in the second week of my freshman year, and it seems like that wasn’t that long ago,” Westbrook said. “It’s really cool to have the opportunity to reflect on everything that I’ve learned over the past two years.”
Opinion Editor Sam Heilmann, ’26, is a finalist in the student editorial category for her story “‘Barbie’ is more than a blockbuster.” Published in the Sept. 1, 2023, edition of The Campus, Heilmann’s article examines the 2023 film “Barbie” as “accessible feminism” and a new cultural lens through which to see the world.
“I feel very honored and surprised and fulfilled,” Heilmann said. “It feels weird to have recognition for writing, when writing never really feels complete.”
Westbrook and Heilmann are no strangers to winning awards; both of their pieces were recognized at the Student Keystone Media Awards in Harrisburg on April 11. Westbrook’s story on SAE earned them an “Honorable Mention” in the “Public Service/Enterprise Package” category, while Heilmann scored an “Honorable Mention” for their “Barbie” piece and two articles on how Wi-Fi issues impacted interpersonal connections last semester.
“It feels like I must be doing something right, even if in the moment that doesn’t feel true,” Heilmann said.
“I wrote a lot of big stories last semester, and a lot of them really tested my abilities as a journalist,” Westbrook said. “It feels nice to have the work recognized.”
A recent alumnus of The Campus has also been recognized: Roman Hladio, ’23, was named a finalist in the “Traditional Feature” category for a story on turtle racing in Ambridge, and in the “Medical/Health” section for an article on improvements in public health after the closing of the Shenango Coke Works on Neville Island. Both pieces were published in online outlet NEXTpittsburgh, where Hladio works as chief reporter.
“I’m really excited,” Hladio said. “I think I did a lot of cool work, especially after spending so much time as an editor and designer, getting to ditch being the details guy and just go out and do the boots-on-the-ground stuff was so much fun.”
Hladio spent two years as co-editor-in-chief of The Campus before graduating last May.
“Reading all of my peers’ work was a major crash course in what I think is good writing, having to make the decision on what to change and what to keep,” Hladio said.
Of his own 74 bylines in The Campus, Hladio cited one in particular — ‘Light in Odd Places’ — as influencing his current writing style. The story, published in January 2023, profiles a theater production about Allegheny’s Oddfellows Hall.
“That’s just where I felt like I found the voice I’m still using in my reporting, and it makes sense that it’s a very traditional feature and both of the articles that are up for me are feature-y pieces,” Hladio said.
Crowley pointed out that a line can be drawn from Hladio to Heilmann and Westbrook in the lineage of Campus writers.
“Seeing Roman recognized for his work with NEXTpittsburgh at the same time as Sam and Anna — who were first-year staff members when Roman was a senior — is particularly cool,” Crowley wrote. “Only a few staff members will actually pursue a career in journalism, but they are carrying on an important tradition of serving the Allegheny community and gaining valuable experience in the process. It’s easy to be cynical these days, especially for reporters concerned about the state of the news industry, but seeing The Campus staff do great things is a terrific antidote to that cynicism and definitely inspires me in my own work.”
In his own work as a full-time Meadville Tribune reporter, Crowley is no slouch. He has also been selected as a finalist for four of his own stories.
“I was pretty thrilled to see my stories recognized as well, particularly a series of stories I did on a Meadville public housing complex that has been plagued by bedbugs and strained relations between tenants and management and a long piece on conflicts over library books in a local school district,” Crowley wrote. “My coverage of the sharp divide over library book restrictions helped draw national attention to PENNCREST School District when ‘PBS NewsHour’ came to Crawford County last summer as part of its ‘Crossroads’ series.”
Crowley was also a finalist in the sports category, for a piece on multi-generational bowling league at Plaza Lanes, and in the profile category, for a story on a 100-year-old Meadville resident.
“Hopefully Allegheny will continue to make a strong showing in regional journalism — current Campus staffers, alumni and advisers too,” he added.