Emily Carbone ‘28
Chief Features Editor
With each year come two new Co-Editors-in-Chief to lead The Spire! This year, it’s Amelia Ciarleglio and Kate Santini, who have decided to take our beloved student newspaper in a new direction. With several added resources, a new meeting time, and tons of plans for the future, Amelia and Kate are ready to unveil the new changes to Spire this year.
Taking into consideration the demands of staff members, Kate and Amelia have set our meeting times to Sundays at 4 p.m. and added in-office hours for each section chief in the Spire office in Hogan 235. Additionally, our social media team is developing different styles of advertisements, along with several different merchandise items designed by Amelia herself. Amelia and Kate are also incorporating icebreakers into meetings, planning team bonding activities, and brainstorming other events to allow for bonding among Spire writers.
In terms of future plans, both co-editors-in-chief aspire for more collaboration between The Spire and other groups, citing both the art club and HerCampus as potential collaborators in the future. A weekly comic strip with the art club and a potential HerCampus edition of The Spire are new changes readers could see in this coming year!
So, why the shift? Why not just keep The Spire the exact same as it was? I asked these questions to Amelia to uncover the motivation behind her and Kate’s ambitious plans for the new year. “Kate and I want to bring a lot of fun and excitement to The Spire,” she explained. “We have made it our goal to bring the Spire staff closer together. With the help of our incredible E-board, we have organized office hours so that the writers can meet with their section chiefs to bond and talk about the writing process. We hope that makes the writing process more cooperative and fun, like a real newsroom!” With the changes that I’ve observed so far (specifically the incorporation of team events and office hours), I’ve definitely noticed the Spire writers room becoming more like a collaborative space for writers than simply a student organization.
When asked about her long-term goals for The Spire, Amelia expressed that she’d love to “see [her] classmates and friends from all disciplines write articles.” She’s previously observed peers with STEM majors reject her offers to write for The Spire due to poor writing skills, and she doesn’t buy it. “I know they are talented writers and are most definitely downplaying their skills, and I think their perspective is extremely valuable. I would love to get all opinions published on The Spire.”
The Spire is a growing student organization with current leadership that is passionate about extending the reach and skill set of all members. And, of course, our doors are always open. “Through the paper’s publication, we capture a unique point in time of Holy Cross history and preserve it in writing,” Amelia explained when asked what made The Spire an important part of Holy Cross. “There is something so special about reading the older editions of The Spire and seeing what Holy Cross students were thinking about, interested in, and the events the college students were passionate about hosting and attending. I urge everyone to write for The Spire to make their voice heard,” she added. I completely agree with Amelia, and always love seeing new faces who want to write a piece for a paper–even if it is for just a singular issue. “The Spire is a wonderful platform with such a rich history,” Amelia concluded. “Also, seeing your name published is very exciting!”
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