Editors’ Corner: Despite a hard year, we came out stronger than ever

LIZ ANASTASIADIS, NINA COSDON & ROHAN ARORA, Editors-in-Chief & Managing Editor — Being the Managing Staff of the paper during a normal semester has its challenges, but this semester was one for the history books. 

Between navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Presidential Election, Zoom meetings and social distancing guidelines on campus alongside the normal issues that come along with every semester, there were a lot of moments where we have been unsure how to move forward. However, these myriad challenges gave us plenty of new things to write about, and our paper has come out stronger than ever before. 

We’ve managed to recruit freshmen during the first month of school to join our team, developed a paid student-writing fellow position with narrative journalism, welcomed a new broadcast producer, pushed for a strong social media presence and tried to inform the community and amplify the voices of all students. From the controversial to the mundane, The Denisonian will continue to tell the story of our campus.

Here are some short messages from the Managing Staff: 

Liz: I would like to thank Professor Alan Miller, advisor to The Denisonian, for his dedication to our paper. I appreciate you taking the time to meet with us weekly to discuss our content and answering my calls when there’s a journalism emergency! Also, thank you Professor Jack Shuler for keeping me on my toes and challenging me to write full stories, not half stories. I would also like to thank narrative journalism faculty Maggie Messitt, Beth Lossing and Professors Doug Swift and Mike Croley for their guidance throughout my years on staff. I’m also grateful for our small but mighty Denisonian family. I will miss you all and I love you dearly. Thank you for giving me a loving community on the Hill. 

Nina: When I first joined The Denisonian as a first-year, it felt like a job. I’d go into the office, edit and leave, never really forming connections with anyone else on staff. However, as I’ve gotten more involved in the paper and we’ve recruited so many amazing editors and writers, this has completely changed. I love going into the office and even on the latest nights (I think my personal best was 3 a.m.) my staffers have made it worth it. And of course, where would we be without the sage advice of our impeccably dressed adviser Alan Miller? I feel so lucky to have gotten to work and play alongside so many talented people. Our new Managing Staff, Rohan, Aaron and Lena, all joined The Denisonian last fall and it’s been so wonderful to watch them develop a passion for this paper I love so much. I have no doubt they will do great things over the next year. Ever since signing up at the freshman involvement fair, The Denisonian has shaped my college experience, but this would not have happened without the people involved. I have so much love and respect for you all and cannot wait to see what you accomplish.

Rohan: I honestly didn’t expect to be as involved with The Denisonian as I am now when I first joined. I was really drawn into the whole concept of journalism, and this attraction slowly grew into a passion as my time with The Denisonian went on. The paper’s staff in my entire tenure here have always shared this passion and have always been dedicated to faithfully and fully reporting the news, and making sure the paper turns out the best it can be issue after issue.  

Again, thank you for a great year. We look forward to continuing The Denisonian legacy. Make sure to congratulate our new Managing Staff for 2021: Rohan Arora ‘22 (Editor-in-Chief), Aaron Skubby ‘23 (Editor-in-Chief) and Lena Massaregli ‘23 (Managing Editor).