In the A. J. Matthews Center, a tucked-away staircase leads to a closed-off basement. It may be deserted now, but up until 2021, the questionable old office was home to the original State Press newsroom.
"We spent a lot of time down there," Newlin Tillunger, an alumna from the class of 2014, said. "It was nothing fancy at all, but I have great memories being there."
The basement had no natural light and outdated technology, but nothing stopped the staff from turning it into a homey space. Some people brought in posters and decor while others provided mismatched couches for napping, according to Tillunger.
Her time at The State Press began her sophomore year, when Tillunger started as a reporter. She later became editor of the arts and entertainment desk and finished her senior year as editor-in-chief of the magazine.
Now, Tillunger works in New York City in content production and marketing design.
"(The) State Press was one of the first opportunities for me to learn how to manage a team as editor," Tillunger said. "To be given that responsibility at such a young and early part of your career is a lot … that skill set was really big for me."
Tillunger said she is very close with the multimedia editor from her time at ASU, and they have fostered a "lifelong collaboration." The pair still works together when their jobs cross paths.
A favorite story Tillunger worked on was about sugar babies at ASU, in which she posed for the newspaper's feature story with hundreds of dollar bills and bright red lipstick.
Leigh Munsil is the daughter of two State Press alumni, although she said her parents' legacy did not impact her decision to work for The State Press.
"When I wanted to be a journalist, I thought I was taking my own path," Munsil said. "But then somehow it took me through the same basement that they were in."
Munsil graduated in the class of 2010. She worked as a government reporter, a managing editor and the digital editor-in-chief. She is now the editor-in-chief of the San Antonio Report, a nonprofit newspaper in Texas.
"Being the editor-in-chief of The State Press is very similar to what I do now," Munsil said. "You're managing the budget, you're managing the staffing, you have to hire and fire people … you're doing that all as a very early career journalist."
According to Munsil, The State Press was one of Arizona's largest daily newspapers when she was editor-in-chief. She described it as "journalism boot camp."
Munsil mentioned being unable to attend family gatherings on Sunday nights to work on the Monday paper. Allegedly, her father implemented the Monday edition during his time as editor-in-chief — something Munsil teased him for.
Aside from hard work and long nights, Munsil recalls her time at The State Press as fun above all else. She remembers the newsroom pausing production on Thursday nights to tune into the new episode of "The Office."
Darren Urban graduated in the class of 1992 and served as a sports reporter and assistant sports editor. Urban described himself as "painfully shy" when he began college.
"I probably didn't have the outgoing personality that would have worked well as a journalist when I first got there," Urban said. "But, I really wanted to be a sports writer."
He said for his first assignment, he had to take a phone call with the Washington State University football head coach in front of the newsroom.
"We had one long-distance line for sports, and it was on the desk," Urban said. "That was intimidating, but everybody was going to be listening."
During his time at the newspaper, Urban was able to come out of his shell and become a successful sports writer. He is now the director of editorial content and senior writer for the Arizona Cardinals.
Urban described the newsroom as an extremely close-knit community.
"It became, for lack of a better term, almost like a frat house for those of us who weren't in a frat or sorority," Urban said. "It was a place to just go hang out, even if you didn't necessarily have work to do."
Spending so much time in the newsroom, he mentioned budding romance was not uncommon.
"I was one of three couples," Urban said. "We all ended up getting married. And we all met at The State Press originally."
Before the Matthews Center basement shut down, Urban went back down there with his wife and another couple for a final visit. They reminisced on memories made in the basement, commenting on graffiti left from their time as college journalists.
"I'm proud of what (The State Press has) been able to do, to be able to transition in terms of going from where it was to where it is now," Urban said. "The State Press has done a nice job being able to keep as many people as they are, and so I'm proud of seeing that kind of evolution."
Edited by Senna James, Jack McCarthy and Ellis Preston.
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Lexi Janusee is in her second semester with the State Press. She is a freshman studying Journalism and Mass Communications with a minor in Theatre. Lexi also works for Blaze Radio, and is an on-air host for Open Mic.
