Tanya Marsh

Last week, Todd said farewell as the editor, leaving the position open for me to jump in.

And jumping in it is. I had a sort of vague reverie in eagerly accepting the position as top dog of the paper that I would be able to allow my ideas for the paper to marinate over the summer. I imagined catching my breath from the hubbub of classes, work and travel before diving headlong into a vision for the Collegian.

However, this was not meant to be. Before my ideas were even half-formed, I was faced with the need of hiring an almost completely new staff, training them in and learning the ins and outs — or at least the basics — of advertising revenues, printing bids and fundraising options.

It has been exciting to discover how many facets there are to the newspaper. While I’ve been involved as a reporter since my freshman year and I spent this year as the Lifestyles editor, I have overlooked many aspects of the paper. Surely many more surprises like this await me in the fall.

Before I slip away for the summer and allow my plans to take shape, allow me to explain a few of my ideas for the paper to you, a key ingredient in the makings of a paper: the readership.

I understand that a campus newspaper needs to be inviting to encourage students to pick it up and read it, but I also want my year as the Collegian editor to be one that I, if no one else, can look back on with pride. I don’t want to create a paper that I’d be embarrassed to show future employers. I don’t want to have the Collegian archives filled with a paper that, in a decade or so, is more of a college stunt I pulled than an honest attempt at journalism.

I’m by no means perfect, so understand that there will be times that the paper won’t be the best reflection of myself. But as a whole, I’d like the Collegian to be a newspaper that deserves to be recognized as a newspaper.

I don’t plan to try to please everyone, because that’s impossible. I would like this paper to avoid being the sunshine and happiness mouthpiece for the university, but neither do I plan to introduce controversy simply for the sake of controversy. I’d like the Collegian to be a portrayal of the truth of issues and events.

Perhaps the idea of a newspaper focused on truth is too broad a vision. But I’d like to see truth in everything we do here, from deciding which issues to cover to seeking information upon which our opinions will be based.

More specifically, I’ll be keeping the tabloid section juice but changing some graphic and editorial elements in both sections of the paper.

I was recently telling my parents that when people find out that I’m the new editor, they’re very eager to tell me their opinions and ideas. That’s great! I’m looking to hear what people are interested in and what they would like to see the paper deal with. It excites me to know that the readers care about the publication enough to share their thoughts with me.

With that, I would like to encourage you, too, to offer your input. I’m looking for ideas from people who care enough to make it to the bottom of my column, so if you’re still reading, I’d be interested to hear what you have to say. I’ll throw your ideas in with mine and let them exchange juices over the summer.

Tanya Marsh is the up-and-coming editor-in-chief. Send her your salutations at [email protected].