By Spenser Hickey
Managing Editor
Sometimes you’re not the best person for the job; sometimes the job isn’t the best fit for you, either.
Both these things played a role in the joint decision made by our advisers, Ellin and myself — that it is in the best interests of The Transcript and both of us if Ellin and I trade positions on the editorial staff.
It is a change I welcome, as the current definitions of each role suit our skill sets much better, and will provide an opportunity to formally define each role for the next generations of editors to come.
As Managing Editor, I’ll be able to work to my strong suit, leading a team to write long-form articles like my Tent City and hate speech reports from the past two semesters.
These reports, combined with the work of students in Advanced Reporting and New Media courses, will provide The Transcript with much-needed investigative and multimedia content, in addition to our weekly news coverage.
This change will benefit both of us, as we work to our strengths, and make The Transcript a greater news source.
By Ellin Youse
Editor-in-Chief
This semester began as a whirlwind for the Transcript staff, with news of the flooding in Elliott Hall, and while we worked hard to cover the story and all events of the first month, we hit a roadblock in staffing.
The strengths of the two highest-ranking editors, my good friend Spenser Hickey and myself, were not being utilized.
I was acting as the paper’s managing editor and Spenser was acting as editor-in-chief. Although Spenser was doing a great job, he wasn’t able to do what he loved — writing long-form, investigative stories.
Being editor-in-chief is a tough job, almost like running a business. He was trying to do both — run the day-to-day business of the paper and write, taking on way too much. I was left picking up the pieces slipping through the cracks, and there were a lot of them.
Our solution became to switch places. As managing editor, Spenser will be able to help oversee the day-to-day of the paper and invest a sufficient amount of time to writing in depth investigative stories and help keep the Transcript a home for hard-hitting news. I will be acting as editor-in-chief, running the ins and outs of the paper, tying up loose ends, making ethical decisions and taking on the responsibility of the paper’s mission statement. I’m honored to be trusted with such a large position, and I am lucky to have Spenser by my side to catch me if I fall.