The Exonian Elects 137th Editorial Board

Uppers Jack Hirsch, Tommy Song and Heather Nelson are to lead The Exonian’s 137th board as editor-in-chief and managing editors, respectively.The previous Upper and Executive Board members chose their successors last Saturday evening in the Academy building’s Elting Room. Erica Plouffe Lazure and Linda Chavers, two of the three advisors to The Exonian, were also present to guide the decision.The group began to deliberate at 7:30 p.m. and reached an overall consensus after a relatively short hour and a half discussion; in prior years, some debates lasted until midnight. During the deliberation, the editors discussed their impressions of a round of half-hour interviews with candidates, as well as their 30-page applications and previous interactions with the applicants.For the second year, an additional managing editor replaces the traditional role of the director of writing with the hope of enabling The Exonian to continue to cultivate a more inclusive working environment.Senior Katie Liptak, the outgoing editor-in-chief, said that she expected the new board to lead the paper with courage, creativity and finesse.“They have displayed impressive skills as writers and, I'm certain, will go on to do the same as editors,” she said. “I wish them all the best.”

“They have displayed impressive skills as writers and, I'm certain, will go on to do the same as editors,”

Chavers said the three students were strong in different ways. While Hirsch has “a very tangible but very inspired longview,” she said, “Nelson has a nose for investigative journalism and a no-nonsense attitude, and Song has a disarming attitude approach which will greatly support the relationships between editor and writer.”Elizabeth Dean, the third advisor to The Exonian, agreed with Chavers, adding that after working alongside the writers in both the classroom and the newsroom, she is excited to work with them as editors.“Exec. is a team, and above all, I believe the 137th Exec board will work as constructively as the 136th,” Dean said.While board turnovers are an exciting time for all new writers and editors, there is also a significant amount of work required to ease the transition from one experienced board to a group of novice editors.Though the new editors completed a series of layout workshops, among other fundamental training processes before the board turnover, the main transition happened yesterday during the two old and new boards’ joint issue.“The editors will have their first taste of doing the real editing work,” senior Jay Lee, a current managing editor, said.“Although the 136th board will be on the masthead, realistically, it will be the 137th board’s first paper since they will be the ones working as the editors and the 136th board will just be there to help,” he added.Liptak explained that The Exonian is a large time commitment and that the 137th board may need additional time to calibrate.“There is always an adjustment period for taking on a new responsibility, especially one that requires the amount of commitment that The Exonian's editorial positions do,” Liptak said.Lazure added that the previous board’s in-depth coverage of interesting, hard-hitting issues sets a high standard for the new board. “It's always a challenge to build off the previous year's successes, but I'm confident that our new board will do so once they get their feet wet,” she said.As the new editor-in-chief, Hirsch has high expectations for this year’s board. After working with his fellow editors for a full year on the writing staff of The Exonian, Hirsch trusts his colleagues’ abilities.“I know that everyone that the 136th board picked was chosen because they're motivated, good workers and able to contribute to The Exonian,” he said. “I am really excited to work with them. I expect them to work hard, but I know they will already because everybody wants to be here.”Hirsch continued to comment on his two fellow Executive Board members, managing editors Song and Nelson.“I am really happy with Tommy and Heather as the other two members of the Executive Board,” he said. “I think they are dedicated, motivated and have a strong work ethic.”These new leaders of The Exonian have already met many times this week to start setting guidelines and goals for the year ahead. The three highlighted their specific plans for the paper.One main change the trio is planning involves the front page. According to Song, the previous board transformed The Exonian’s appearance to emulate that of The New York Times. While Song agreed with the last board’s decisions to change the new layout, he wanted to further transform the paper’s front page by making bigger and more engaging headlines.Along with the layout, the 137th board also hopes to change the current byline system. In the past, as many as five writers contributed to an article. The new board decided to set a maximum cap of two writers per article to streamline the writing process and to make for a sleeker layout.In addition, the new board will aim to pair one experienced staff writer with one new writer. Nelson believed this modified byline system, along with the increased number of Lower Board staff members, will provide an opportunity to help teach non-staff writers.“We have 17 [Lower Board members], which is great because we get to start off with some seasoned writers who know what they are doing,” Nelson said.“Then they can train new writers to write quality articles so that hopefully everyone won’t be as overworked as they usually are.”Like Nelson, Song hopes the new one-on-one opportunities between experienced and new writers will improve the paper’s written content.“I believe content is the most important aspect of the paper because it promotes readership and earns respect for the paper,” Song said.Nelson said that she wanted to help change the reputation of The Exonian from stressful and intimidating to amiable and inclusive.“It is a really great way to learn how to write and meet new people; The Exonian is just a really fun community,” she said.Both advisors and old staff-members are anticipating great things out of the new board and their aspirations. Chavers exemplified this, saying “This is going to be an exciting year.”