Emily Neelon |
It’s the first day of Beacon Boot Camp in August 2013. Standing in front of a room full of new faces waiting for her to speak, Kelsey Thomas glances down at the notes she carefully wrote out the night before. Taking a deep breath, she introduces herself as the editor-in-chief of The Beacon.
A year and a half later, The Beacon is saying goodbye to Editor-in-Chief Thomas, who will graduate in December with a degree in English. Thomas has worked for The Beacon since August 2012, and took on the role of editor in chief in May 2013.
The Beacon’s Sports Editor Katie Dunn, a junior marketing major, is inheriting Thomas’ role on staff. She hopes to increase the publication’s overall outreach and readership.
During Thomas’ time as editor in chief, The Beacon won dozens of awards at the state, regional and national levels. This year, it won third place for weekly newspaper of the year. Last year it was a finalist for The Pacemaker, an award referred to as the college media equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize.
“The Beacon has always had an underdog spirit, and it’s exciting to see all of the talented students on staff getting recognition for their great work,” Thomas said.
The Beacon also launched a new website, and recently launched a mobile news app, making it possible for students to take their news with them wherever they go.
When Thomas’ position opened, candidates for the editor-in-chief position were interviewed by faculty and staff on the Presidential Advisory Committee on Student Media. This committee made a recommendation to University President Fr. Mark Poorman, who made the final decision on the new leader of The Beacon.
“I was very excited, and Nancy (Copic, adviser of The Beacon) probably went deaf in one ear,” Dunn said upon hearing the news that she had been chosen as editor-in-chief.
Dunn was hired as a sports reporter in August 2012 as a freshman, and has worked as sports editor since May 2013. She has loved being able to devote herself to one of her biggest passions over the past two years.
Although eager to transition into her new role, Dunn is nervous about the responsibilities that come along with the job.
“There’s definitely a sense of kind of being anxious about (having the) final say on what happens,” Dunn said.
Dunn hopes to focus on digital and alternative media and increase collaboration and companionship among the staff. With her business-minded perspective, Dunn plans to conduct market research on campus about what students like and dislike about the publication.
“I’m really excited just to see how everything develops and works as a whole,” Dunn said. “(Students) should expect continued excellence, some fun and lightheartedness at times and a different way of having the news presented to them.”
Dunn made her first major decision as editor-in-chief Tuesday, promoting sports reporter Malika Andrews, a sophomore organizational communication and marketing major, to sports editor.
Dunn and Thomas agree that working for The Beacon is a great way to be involved in a different aspect of campus life and stay informed about what is happening across campus and beyond. Additionally, they believe that working for The Beacon provides students with valuable job skills that will be irreplaceable later in life. Thomas’ favorite part of working for The Beacon is the people she employs.
“There’s just something really cool and special about being locked in a small room with people every week and creating something,” Thomas said. “I am also convinced that the Beacon is home to some of the brightest, most interesting and weirdest kids on campus, and I feel lucky I got to spend my college experience hanging out with them.”
Dunn agrees that the staff’s commitment to their roles on The Beacon are key to its success and outstanding reputation.
“Everyone wants to be here and doing what they’re doing and making the paper the best they can,” Dunn said. “It’s always a really fun environment to be around.”
Emily Neelon is a staff writer for The Beacon, and can be reached at Neelon17@up.edu or on Twitter @Neelonsays.
