Holcad Editors and Adviser Attended National Convention
Posted on Friday, November 4, 2011
Two editors and the faculty adviser to Westminster College's The Holcad student newspaper attended the National College Media Convention Oct. 27-30 in Orlando, Fla.
Patrick Sylves, The Holcad editor-in-chief, and Samantha Killmeyer, features editor, participated in workshops that included First Amendment issues, newspaper design, and ideas for feature stories. During critique sessions, advisers from other colleges reviewed The Holcad and shared pointers for improving the paper.
"The conference was an eye-opening experience," Sylves said. "It provided me with the opportunity to benchmark The Holcad against college newspapers from across the country and develop ideas about how to improve our publication."
Sylves, a senior public relations and broadcast communications major, is a son of Paul and Grace Sylves of Cochranton and a graduate of Kiski Area High School.
"I am grateful to have had the opportunity to attend the journalism conference with sessions on topics ranging from design and layout to ethical reporting and First Amendment controversy," Killmeyer said. "I'm excited to see how the ideas we bring back to Westminster will change The Holcad for the better. I hope that students will have the chance to attend this conference in future years."
Killmeyer, a senior English major, is a daughter of Steven and Diane Killmeyer of Medina, Ohio, and a graduate of Highland High School.
Delores Natale, Westminster public relations lecturer and faculty adviser to The Holcad, attended with the students. She critiqued student newspapers from Mount Royal University in Canada (The Reflector) and from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana (The Daily Illini).
"This is the first time representatives of The Holcad have attended a conference on this scale," Natale said. "Based on the students' enthusiastic response to new ideas presented at the conference, I feel we should encourage attendance at similar events in the future."
Natale, who earned undergraduate and master's degrees from Westminster, joined the faculty in 2001.
Contact Natale at (724) 946-7348 or email for additional information.
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