Each spring the staff of The Cornell Daily Sun comes together to elect the editorial board that will serve during the next two semesters. This year the editorial and business departments gathered Saturday in McGraw and Goldwin Smith halls, respectively, to officially appoint the editors and managers who will make up the 120th editorial board. What formed was a group of 18 individuals who, ironically, see less sunlight than the average Cornellian, enjoy late night trips to gas stations, and kick back with fine cigars and Student Assembly funded wine.
Editor in Chief Beth Herskovits ’03 said she is committed to following the traditions of the 119th editorial board, and has fully assimilated since being voted the quietest person on The Sun. She now has big plans to make the paper a greater voice on campus both through the print edition as well as the website. Yet the resident of Staten Island, N.Y., (even though she’ll tell you she went to high school in Manhattan) has broken with one of the traditions of the 119th. She fully believes that New York is better than New Jersey, and the Yankees are the better than the Boston Red Sox. And she likes her accent.
Which means she may clash with Business Manager Gideon Simpson ’03 who hails from the Garden State, or the armpit of America. A math major and former advertising manager, Simpson is working to improve The Sun’s bottom line — so it can pay for the drinking and gambling losses incurred Saturday by the 119th. The Sun does find, however, that having a New Jerseyite on the board can be used to its advantage. Simpson has promised the board a new laser printer for just $500. As well as a company Mercedes if the 120th kisses his signet ring.
Managing Editor Maggie Frank ’03 wants to work more closely with writers and designers to improve their Sun experience. It may not feel like summer camp anymore, but the California native plans to give the Sun a more tropical feel nevertheless by making use of bubble tea and Bata flip flops. But don’t ever mistake this American Studies major for the flaky blonde type — even though her next project is an e-Moo update. After a spending a semester in France, The Sun is happy to have her back.
Frank’s fellow beat partner, Jennifer A. Roberts ’03 — not to be confused with Jennifer S. Roberts — is The Sun’s new associate editor. Proudly hailing from Tulsa, Okla., she shares her hometown with the incoming chair of the Board of Trustees (which The Sun hopes to use to its advantage.) Roberts, a former member of the cross-country team, said Saturday that she “saw the light and joined The Sun.” The English and biology double major wants to recruit more cartoonists — but less dirty ones.
Advertising Manager Lindsay Jacobson ’04 is also expected to break with the tradition established by her predecessor — she plans to sell ads. Between selling ads and double majoring in government and economics, Jacobson still finds time to give back to others through Circle K. Yet, though she seems sweet and charitable, sources close to The Sun said that Jacobson has quite a temper. Not that the 120th feels that there’s nothing wrong with a woman asserting her authority.
And that mantra especially holds for Sports Editor Amanda Angel ’03, who shares some of the board’s best qualities: being female and from New York. While busy working on the next sports wrap, Angel is catching eyes across two countries; after an interview with her, a reporter from The Sporting News Magazine in Canada, wondered “where all the hockey-loving cuties were when [he] was a student.” Angel said, “We’re going to be the best sports section in the Ivy League.”
The Sun will also have the best website in the Ivy League, according to Web Editor Jason Lee ’03, who hopes to upgrade The Sun’s infrastructure while making the website fully customizable for each user. Lee’s experience with programming includes a project for the Legal Information Institute at the Myron Taylor Law School. He’s also the only person on The Sun actually studying anything related to science and technology. Lee hails from Arizona but the 120th has decided to keep him anyway.
The board also decided to keep Photography Editor Jake Brown ’04, who chose to spend the weekend in the wilderness as opposed to with The Sun. Brown may start a new legacy of Sun editors running to the wilds instead of coming to work. Another New Yorker, Brown shares the board’s vision to improve the look and feel of The Sun’s photo department. Although he has earned himself a nickname that only the producers of the Bikini Bandits would be proud to use, Brown plans to use his power for good, not evil.
This goal is shared by the editor in chief of Red Letter Daze, Nate Brown ’04, who thinks that arts & entertainment editors have been shafted in the past. The board however dismissed his pleas to have the position of Daze raised, noting that being lower on the mast is a small price to pay for free CDs and interviews with celebrities. Before joining The Sun, Brown also planned to run cross country, “but then I realized I was short and fat,” he said. He also enjoys standing on tables and desks.
Circulation Manager Evelyn Rodriguez ’04 doesn’t need to stand on a platform to get her point across. She also plans to focus on bringing in more advertisers and giving a greater voice to the circulators. An Applied Economics and Management major and resident of the Bronx, Rodriguez also enjoys playing handball and the many crows that circle around the five boroughs.
New Yorker Rachel Einschlag ’04, news editor, is a communications major who also dabbles in oceanography and physics. Einschlag and President Hunter R. Rawlings III share a common interest in geology and earth sciences. At her last meeting with the president, Einschlag was only too happy to share her knowledge with the Big Guy about rocks and minerals. Einschlag hopes to move up the news deadline to 9 p.m.
Einschlag’s partner in crime, News Editor Carlos Perkins ’04, single handedly managed the second highest beat at The Sun one semester out of training. Another former-resident of the Bronx and a human development major, Perkins has worked to improve communication between the news and photo sections. His secret energy booster? Twinkies.
Completing the section, News Editor Kelly Samuels ’04 is taking over her predecessor’s role as possibly the quietest person on The Sun. However, she is not nearly as bossy. Even after a stint on the S.A. beat, the Wilmington, Del., resident still does not have a mean word to say about anyone she’s met.
Alex Fineman ’03, assistant sports editor, plans to integrate as much over-played gangsta rap into the newsroom as possible. He’s off to a kickin’ start, alternating between “Doggystyle” and “The Chronic” for eight hours yesterday. Fineman’s other favorite rappers include Jay-Z and Biggie Smalls. “I like Biggie even though he’s dead. I’m getting into him very posthumously,” Fineman said.
Alex Ip ’04, also assistant sports editor, helps round out the well-dressed assistant sports trio. A double major in government and economics, Ip enjoys playing video games when he’s not studying. Known as the muscle of the sports of the department, Ip plans to push up the section’s finish times by at least three hours.
The last member of the Trifecta, Assistant Sports Editor Scott Jones ’04, was told by the board not to reveal his affiliations with The Sun when running into the CUPD on a Saturday night. However, Jones joins his fellow members in wanting to cover more news items relating to sports as well as foster more collaboration among the eight the Ivy League sports sections. Like his predecessor, Jones is majoring in Industrial and Labor Relations.
Daze Associate Editor Ben Kupstas ’04 was elected because of a wealth of knowledge about
music — although debate rages over whether this is actually the case. Proof may be in whether he can convince other members on the board to play CDs which don’t have parental advisories on their labels. And, yes, he’s from Wilkes-Barre, Pa., which the rest of the board passes while driving home on I-81.
Last but certainly not least, Shalini Saxena ’05 takes over as assistant advertising manager after training on both the news and business boards. Although she is undecided about her major, Saxena is certain she will enjoy working with the three other carefree Californians on the board.
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