The Brandeis Hoot began the spring semester by announcing a brand-new editorial board. Andy Meyers 08 and Lauren Stein 08 have succeeded Heather Zajdel 07 as Editors-in-Chief, Jordan Rothman 09 has replced Graham Dobereiner 07 as Managing Editor, David Pepose 08 has supplanted Pat Garofalo 08 as News Editor, and Clarissa Stark 08 has taken on Stein's former job as Culture Editor.
The Hoot has undergone a lot of changes in the past couple of weeks, and I am proud to be working with these deserving and hard working individuals, said Meyers of the new E-board. I love The Hoot because I think providing multiple mediums for campus media is important, and The Hoot people are just awesome! added Rothman 09.
The new editors-in-chief, Meyers and Stein, have worked for the Hoot for two years;
Meyers served as Backpage Editor, Opinions Editor, and Managing Editor, and Stein was Culture Editor for over a year. Stein said that Andy and I are very excited about our new positions and we will do the job as best as we can. We both work very well together and I'm very happy to be co-editor-in-chief with him.
I hope to make The Hoot as accurate as possible and bring in as many new voices as possible, said Meyers. Stein added, Both Andy and I plan on expanding the newspaper. By expanding I mean covering more material and trying to get more people involved with the behind-the-scenes process.
Rothman has stepped into the role of Managing Editor, after starting this year as a Sports writer with The Hoot and continuing as a News and Opinions writer. Rothman too has high goals for the paper under this new leadership, though perhaps some of his goals may be a bit more personal. Said Rothman, My goal is to in one edition write for every single section [of the five sections of The Hoot]. So far the most I've gotten is four!
Pepose, the new News Editor, has worked as a news writer for The Hoot for the past two years and has also gained experience working for the Jewish Journal in Salem, the Washington Times in Washington, D.C., TheCelebrityCafe.com, and the Justice Brandeis Innocence Project.
As News Editor, Pepose said, My hopes are to really bring up a reliable stable of news writers. I hope to teach them all the stuff that I've picked up on these past couple of years, and I hope I can pick something up from them as well.
Pepose, with the help of his co-editors, sees these goals as something he is ready to take on. The Hoot really takes care of its own, and that's something I want to foster amongst my news kids. News editing is going to be a busy job, but I think it'll be rewarding as well… It'll really keep me on my toes, keep my eyes and ears open. It'll really make me look for all the angles.
Finally, Stark, the new Culture Editor. Stark has worked as a Culture writer for two years and is a member of the Boston Cultural Arts Club. I plan on bringing up the quality of the Culture section and making sure that the layout looks good, said Stark. As one of the board members for BCAC, I learn about and go to cultural events in Boston, and just in general, culture is a pretty broad base of things that most people are interested in: Movies, books, TV, and art. So far, it's been a good run, and I expect that to continue.
We have a great staff that communicates well, so I think that's one of the greatest strengths to have when dealing with a newspaper, considering it's all about communication, said Stein. It is clear that all the new editors are passionate about their work on The Hoot and that all are excited to see what the new semester will bring.
Pepose added that students do not have to have a journalism major to pursue a meaningful career in the field, just a love for writing in any medium: I really encourage anyone who's interested in writing, whether it be journalism, film, creative writing, whatever, to sign upI love all these things, and The Hoot has been a great outlet for me. It's a good life, and I haven't regretted it once.
Meyers said, My favorite thing about being involved with The Hoot is the fact that it allows me to meet new people, hear other people's opinions and help contribute something to the Brandeis community. Stein added that I feel very positively about The Hoot's future. We have a great editorial board and staff and I think we're all headed in a wonderful direction. This may be one of my best printing semesters yet.
