Pen Names
BEING THE EDITOR OF A CAMPUS publication isn't all late nights and carpal tunnel syndrome. We gathered four of them (the others were in exams or off campus) the day before the fall term ended to talk about their experiences.
For Joe Rago '05 of Falmouth, Massachusetts, being the editor of the biweekly The Dartmouth Review has been a source of pride on a campus where readership has increased markedly during his tenure. "Not to toot my own horn, but I think it's a better paper now," he says. "It's more moderate. Not so strident. And it's focused more on Dartmouth than on na- tional issues." He was inspired to take on the job by "dedication to Dartmouth traditions," he says. "It speaks to those with an open mind who are suspicious of pieties. It's easily the best-written paper on campus and it's never—ever—dull."
Other editors, including those absent from our photo shoot, might like to make the same claim for their publications. Megh Duwadi '05 of Oak Hill, Virginia, until December the editor of The Dart-mouth, says the best part of the job was "al- ways knowing before everyone else what's going on" and having a bird's-eye view of the campus from his office in Robinson Hall. Duwadi should have little difficulty adjusting to the rigors of the corporate world, where he hopes to land as a consultant. He's used to logging 60 to 70 hours a week running the daily.
Clinton Hendler '05 of Prospect, Kentucky, editor-in-chief of the 4-year- old Dartmouth Free Press, can sympathize. For him, the worst part of the job has been the sleepless Wednesdays before the biweekly is dropped at the printer. "Thursday classes are hell," he says. Hendler says he grew gradually into a job that requires managing a 40-person staff and a $l0,000 budget, and views it as valuable managerial experience. Seeing his name on the masthead as a staff writer in the DFP's early days made him feel he had to be a consistent contributor. From there he advanced to political editor before taking the top job. "I'm more and more pleased with the product," he says. A joint film studies and sociology major, Hendler hopes to make a film over the summer and land a job involving documentary research.
Kevin Pedersen '05 of Freeport, New York, is focused on a comedy writing job. No surprise given that he edits the College's humor magazine, The Jack-O-Lantern. He sees his stint as "a way to avoid that surge of shame and self-consciousness that comes with writing humor," he says. "It's great sitting in a room and bouncing ideas for funny stories and new projects with people. It's not so great trying to scrounge up the right font file somewhere on the office computers." In addition to his Jacko gig, Pedersen also draws a daily cartoon in The Dartmouth. "I've learned that even if you publish something terribly unfunny, people aren't going to beat down your door and tell you you should shut up," he says.
As editor of the quarterly StonefenceReview, Alexis Jolly '05 of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, oversees three section editors who in turn handle prose, poetry and art for a literary magazine he calls distingue. He jokes that his motivation is "sheer narcissism," but doesn't necessarily see editing as his future, even though he is also co-editor-in-chief of the student body's morning e-blast of news and humor known as the "Generic Good Morning Message." Already he has sold a screenplay, Leaving Greenville, which is based on his high school days at the Tower Hill School in Delaware.
Meet the Press The editorial braintrust(from left) of seniors Jolly, Pedersen,Hendler and Rago in Baker Library.
QUOTH/UNQUOTE "The deans are being helpful about dealing with the amount of economics majors that are trying to cram into our department, but it would be helpful if we were able to add new full-time faculty." —ECONOMICS PROFESSOR JON SKINNER, QUOTED IN THE DARTMOUTH ON JANUARY 14 ABOUT STUDENTS UNABLE TO REGISTER FOR DESIRED COURSES
