Ashwin Prabaharan ’26
Co-Editor-in-Chief
It has been an honor to lead the Spire and its fantastic staff for the last several months along with my better half, co-Editor-in-Chief Will McHale. I’ve grown not only as a leader, but I believe as a writer and a colleague to all with whom I serve. I’m incredibly proud of the work we have done together, and the many changes to our material and strategies that I believe put us at the center of Holy Cross’s intellectual discourse. We seek to challenge the preconceived notions of student journalism, and I believe we have done this laudably. Our coverage has provoked discussions about serious issues on campus, invited the administration to engage more with the student body, and provided more students with an outlet to express their views. The Spire is becoming much more than a weekly staple, it’s an anchor for the voiceless and a forum for vigorous, civil debate.
Early into our year, I recommended we create a new position within our executive board, for an In-House Critic or Ombudsman. This person would be responsible for offering the editorial staff critiques and advice concerning our work, holding us accountable, and ensuring we perform per our editorial standards. I’m immensely proud to have recommended Jake Ruderman for this position. He has been more than willing to offer insightful guidance and feedback in areas in which we can improve, from the content of our articles to the style of our physical paper layout. We cannot thank him enough for his time and efforts dedicated to our paper.
Additionally, taking inspiration from many other college news outlets, I pushed for a new social media initiative: Breaking News. Headed by our wonderful News chief Lizzie Swanson and Social Media chiefs Gail Durkin and Elizabeth Palmieri, the Spire is now actively posting regular news story updates on our Instagram page, from local Worcester news to national stories. This allows students to turn to a reliable, student-driven source for news, while allowing us to showcase our ability to relay information in a timely and concise manner. With the support of our News and Social Media teams, as well as a newly updated website thanks to our Web chief Meredith McDonough, this effort has taken off and is in full earnest. We’re pushing our boundaries and showing our readers what we are capable of providing.
Through our great successes, I must also acknowledge we have areas in which we can improve. Like any publication or student undertaking, there will always be learning curves. We are continually adapting to feedback from students and faculty alike to ensure our work meets the best standards of credibility and journalistic integrity. As we pursue new ends for the Spire, I am sure our successes will outweigh any mistakes we may encounter. I must thank the staff of the Office of Student Involvement and Dean Michelle Beta for being incredibly supportive of the Spire as we seek to rectify mistakes and move on towards better outcomes. Most importantly, I am immensely thankful for the staff’s engagement, and for our section chiefs’ ability to remedy issues and help us improve constructively. Their feedback and ideas drive the Spire, and this paper would not be at its current capacity without their leadership.
I took up the position of co-Editor-in-Chief because I was wholeheartedly committed towards one mission since first joining the Spire as a writer: give everyone a voice. I only hope to do right by this personal objective of mine. I’m reaching out to any and all students, faculty members, and alumni, to write for us and have your voice heard for an audience hungry for thoughtful discourse. I will never relent on the Spire’s mission to serve as a bulwark for student journalism, our right to free speech, and our right to engage in debates free from censorship, no matter the critic. As students tasked with leading the next generation, we owe it to ourselves to give each other an opportunity to have our minds heard, our hearts indulged on the issues that mean the most to us. We are nothing without this freedom and right. The Spire’s best days are ahead of it, and I invite you to join us in this mission, to make Holy Cross a better place for every one of us and the many more that will be reared by it in decades to come.
Featured image courtesy of The Guardian
Leave a Reply