Start spreading the news -- at least, that's what a group of students at the Penn State New Kensington campus in Upper Burrell are doing to bring the spotlight back onto their campus and hands-on experience to the classroom. Journalism students revealed in January the inaugural edition of The Nittany Pride, the first student newspaper to be created on campus since 1967. The monthly publication keeps students updated about current campus events, entertainment and hot topics. A staff of about six students write stories, take photographs, edit copy and design pages for The Nittany Pride as part of a journalism practicum, faculty adviser Tom Oates says. Students oversee and create the newspaper from start to finish. "Students get more invested in it," Oates says about the tangible proof of what is taught during the practicum course. "Once they write the first news story, they get the bug." The communications department at the campus initiated the practicum course and the idea of publishing a newspaper to help the students enrolled in the journalism elective to learn from hands-on experience. "It is an important component of the journalism option of the bachelor's degree program," says Allan Larson, assistant professor of communications and program director. "The students needed a forum to express themselves." Students in his course also elected an editorial staff to spearhead the group. Mike Oettinger, 20, of New Kensington, undertook journalism studies because he always liked to write and figured it would be a practical way to get paid to do what he enjoys. As managing editor of The Nittany Pride, Oettinger edits copy and works with Oates during the pagination process of production. He gets to write stories about sports -- like the Muay Thai kickboxing article for the premiere issue -- and learn about programs such as QuarkXPress, page-design software used in the journalism industry. "I've always had an interest in journalism," Oettinger says. "I enjoy doing the layout, making the paper and deciding where the pictures go and how the columns should look. (The practicum) introduced me to that." The Nittany Pride staff each month conceives story ideas for its five sections: metro (politics and news); student life; arts, entertainment and technology; sports; and editorial and forum, which is a debate section debuting in next month's issue that exposes students' thoughts about controversial subjects. "We hope that The Nittany Pride will become a major public forum for the students," Oettinger says. "We want it to cause interaction on campus and be helpful." He says the most difficult task in producing the newspaper is getting writers to meet deadlines and recruiting reporters. Currently, the newspaper is funded by the Student Affairs committee, but Oates says the staff hope also to obtain advertisement funds soon. While the practicum provides a sense of professionalism within collegiate studies, the finished product offers a sense of achievement. When the first issue rolled off the press, Oates says staff members came to his office for copies before they were distributed. "They felt accomplished and excited to have something that they could hold in their hands," Oates says. Oettinger was one of the staff members eager to get his hands on the first copies of The Nittany Pride. "It was amazing," Oettinger says. "I didn't think I was going to enjoy it that much. I got an overwhelming sense of pride when I saw the completed paper." About 300 copies of the publication are distributed on campus for students. While the editorial staff is managed through the practicum, any student can write or submit work. Previous publications produced on campus include The Cogswheel in 1958 and By Line, which was published intermittently from 1960 to 1967.

---

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)

---