May 7, 2022 2 min read

A presence that had been missing from Penn State Fayette, the Eberly Campus, has returned with a roar.

The Roaring Lion, the campus newspaper, returned with an online publication after a hiatus of about six years.

Initial steps for the return of the campus newspaper were taken during the 2020-21 school year.

Melissa Robinson, assistant professor of corporate communications, co-adviser, said some fellow faculty members said they wanted to bring the Roaring Lion back.

“They suggested I would be a good person to lead the newspaper,” the South Strabane Township resident said. “I want to create more opportunities for our corporate communication majors.”

The timing seemed right as the school’s corporate communications program is growing and a new humanities program is being introduced.

Recruitment began, as seven student staff members were needed to become officially recognized. Once they were in place, an informational meeting was held and editors were appointed.

“This year, we’ve been working toward making it bigger and better,” said Robinson, a 2006 Trinity High School graduate. “The faculty and staff are excited about the Roaring Lion revival.”

Brandy Sickles of McClellandtown, who will be a third-year Penn State student in the fall, was the editor-in-chief during the recently completed school year.

Noelle Bodenheimer, who will enter her third year in the fall, will take over as editor-in-chief as Sickles moves to University Park.

The Connellsville resident is majoring in corporate communication and has plans for the Roaring Lion as it revs up again in the fall.

“I want to engage more with our readers,” Bodenheimer said. “I want our social media to have more of a presence, so more people are seeing the stories we put out. Over the past couple of editions, our views have gone up. It’s so wonderful.”

Currently, the Roaring Lion is online at sites.psu.edu/roaringlion, but the hope is to eventually have a print version and offer journalism classes on campus.