Student journalists from Biola University’s student-run news publication The Chimes were recognized at the 2025 West Coast Convention of the Associated Collegiate Press (ACP) on Saturday, March 8. They came home with three first-place awards: Best Newspaper Website (for universities with less than 15,000 students), Best Newspaper Column and Best Print or Online Advertisement.
AWARDS
Two student journalists in particular were recognized for their work on The Chimes: sophomore cinema & media arts major Jasper Zastrocky and senior English major Kelly Van Duine.
Zastrocky, a content creator for The Chimes, won first place for Best Print or Online Advertisement. The advertisement itself was an “Office-style” behind-the-scenes video for The Chimes.
Van Duine, a staff writer for The Chimes, won first place for Best Newspaper Column. The column itself included three articles published on the Chimes’ Opinions section:
- A dramatic shift from blue to red: an analysis of the 2024 election
- A lonely walk with Christ: the Catholic experience at Biola
- Why horror is actually the most Christian genre
The Chimes wasn’t the only organization from Biola to come home with an award, however. The Point, the university’s student-run campus magazine, also won 10th place for Best of Show Overall Design for its Fall magazine publication and 2nd place for Best of Show Best News Magazine.
According to an official press release, the competition was between universities of all sizes from Florida to Oregon. The Chimes’ awards were presented by the California College Media Association (CCMA) while The Point’s awards were presented by the Associated Collegiate Press (ACP). Both organizations aim to nurture fellowships between university media groups across the country.
CEREMONY
Senior English major Patricia Yang, Editor-in-Chief of the Chimes Newspaper, attended the ceremony alongside other student journalists. They in turn were accompanied by Michael Longinow, faculty advisor to The Chimes.
Longinow also participated in a series of panel sessions. These discussions covered a variety of topics, but were centered on the role of faith in university student media. In addition, they discussed the struggles student journalists may face in covering disaster stories. These topics were especially relevant in the midst of the wildfires that plagued Los Angeles at the start of the year. Chimes student journalists worked to gather and organize stories from countless Biola students into a cohesive anthology of testimonies published at the start of the Spring 2025 semester.
Longinow, along with Biola student media leaders Yang and senior journalism major Hope Li, the Torch Executive Producer, also participated in a panel session on building collaborative media groups on campus. The panel itself was the brainchild of Longinow and included media groups from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo and Pepperdine University.
NEXT STEPS
Yang expressed her excitement for the future of The Chimes amidst the atmosphere of other university media groups at the ceremony.
“There [were] a variety of really good pieces from other student newspapers that stood out and really wow’ed me,” Yang wrote in a formal communication. “It excites me. We have so much growing still to do — and I have the utmost confidence in The Chimes that we can match that level of journalistic performance and beyond.”
According to the aforementioned press release, a merger between The Chimes, The Point and The Torch is currently in development, to form a student-run media group. This would be the first of its kind at Biola University.
For over 80 years, The Chimes has been Biola University’s official student-run news publication. The Chimes aims at informing Biola students of relevant news both on and off campus through articles rooted in a strict code of journalistic ethics, founded on Philippians 4:8.
The Point is Biola University’s official campus magazine, produced for students, by students. The Point publishes one issue per semester and strives to enrich Biola’s campus with stories that center on student life and faith.
The Torch is Biola University’s internet-only media station, also run by students. The Torch aims at providing God-honoring audio programming that focuses on relevant news and feature stories.
