Online magazine launches from communications students

The communication studies department at St. Joe’s is trying something new this semester in the form of an online magazine which requires weekly participation from students in its classes.

J. Michael Lyons, Ph.D., assistant professor of communication studies, created Hawk cHill for students to practice digital content production.

Last year served as a trial run for Hawk cHill, which Lyons described as a “cross between Buzzfeed and HerCampus.” Noticeable intrigue from students  last year proved there is a need on campus for a “publication that doesn’t compete with The Hawk and isn’t a news site,” Lyons said.

Similar to Buzzfeed, Hawk cHill is currently blurring the lines of journalism in a variety of ways.

“There are journalistic acts,” Lyons said, “but it’s more of a laboratory than an institutional publication.”

Listicles are a popular feature on Hawk cHill. One of Lyons’ favorites is “Six Things That Actually Happened During Office Hours.” Other recent posts include “Five Classes Students Should Take Before Entering the Real World” and “Five Breakfast Recipes to Make Before an 8 a.m.”

Students in five communication studies classes are broken into five groups per class, generating at least 25 new articles each week, Lyons explained.  Each group member plays a different role in the editorial process. However, one important rule is to avoid clickbait.

Anthony Savarese ’19 has held three different roles in his group. During the first week, he served as writer. In the second week, he was editor. Now he is the media producer, which means he is “responsible for any photos or videos we might need,” Savarese said. The only role Savarese hasn’t held yet is social media director.

The Hawk’s Editor-in-Chief Vivian Milan ’18 does not see Hawk cHill as competition for the university’s student newspaper.

“There should be a lot of voices being expressed on campus,” Milan said. “I think there can be many different outlets for that.”