The Student Media Committee selected the editor-in-chief positions for The Daily Toreador summer and fall semesters and the 2010-2011 La Ventana Yearbook on Wednesday night.
Kevin Cullen, a junior journalism major from Las Cruces, N.M., was chosen to return for his fourth semester as editor-in-chief of The Daily Toreador.
“I’ve learned that working at The DT really opens doors for you,” Cullen said. “Working on a daily deadline and overseeing a staff that works on a daily deadline is a great experience.”
Many new faces have joined The DT, he said, and advances have been made in staff communication inside the newsroom, reporters working with photographers and convergence of media from when he started as editor-in-chief.
“It’s really been a better representation of what it’s like to work in a real newsroom,” Cullen said.
The Daily Toreador also has room for improvement, he said, like training writers to seek stories that matter to the public.
“The DT needs more stories that aren’t given to you, essentially,” Cullen said. “More stories that are sought out, investigated. Stories that make people want to pick up the paper.”
Ralston Rollo, a sophomore journalism major from Lubbock, became the summer editor-in-chief for The Daily Toreador.
“I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s going to be a good learning experience.”
Rollo said he will not have any classes and will focus on his position as editor-in-chief.
He said he looks forward to hiring staff writers, being able to mediate, designing pages and expanding his employment opportunities.
“I feel like I’ve been given an opportunity to really enhance my resume,” Rollo said. “And it’s something that any journalism major should do if they can.”
Lauren Watkins, a freshman journalism major from Wylie, was selected as editor-in-chief for La Ventana. She said she is excited about the chance to design the yearbook and work with a staff she enjoys.
“I have a really strong staff; most of them are returning,” she said. “The only person we’re losing is Kate, who is our editor, and that’s because she’s graduating.”
Watkins said she wants to pass a resolution through the Student Government Association to put an optional fee on the tuition to help bring the yearbook down in price and bring more money to the Student Media Department. She said she may focus on more events so people can look back and say they were there and remember their time at Tech.
Ann Rodriguez, the third-year chairwoman of Student Media Selection Committee, said the candidates this year were “terrific” and enthusiastic about their positions.
The DT applicants had to answer questions about the newspaper and furthering its status on campus, as well as converging it with online media, Rodriguez said.
“With all the applicants, in various ways, we talked about maintaining the integrity and credibility of print,” she said, ”but understanding the necessity of moving to a multimedia focus and the difficulty of selling print these days.”
La Ventana candidates were asked how they could get college students to buy a yearbook and increase the book’s value to students at Tech, Rodriguez said.
“It’s still a challenge,” she said. “But it’s something everybody seems intent on working on.”
1 comments