As the fall 2020 semester comes to the close, the staff of The Rocket hired five new staff members to take over for departing staff members across the campus life, sports, photos and copy/web sections.
The new hires come as four seniors on staff are set to graduate next month. Seniors Karl Ludwig (sports editor), Hope Hoehler (campus life editor), Keegan Beard (photo editor) and Sam Shiel (assistant copy/web editor) will depart from staff at the end of the semester. Another current staff member, Jack Konesky, who served as assistant campus life editor this semester, will also leave the staff.
Ludwig and Hoehler served as managing editors for The Rocket since last fall. For Hoehler, she valued the family-like atmosphere of staff she helped lead since her original appointment in the fall 2018 semester.
“I think it’s going to be really important that collaboration and the sense of being there for each other is something that they definitely continue to carry on,” Hoehler said.
For Ludwig, he hopes that the new staff members embrace their enjoyment of being on staff and their opportunities to try new ideas for the newspaper and website.
“I think what I most want to see from the new staff is just enthusiasm from people who haven’t been on staff before, people who will take the places of myself and Hope,” Ludwig said. “And people like Sam and Keegan who have this enthusiasm for journalism really get a chance to show it off now.”
To adjust for the graduating staff members, three current members were accepted into new positions. Hannah Slope and Brendan Howe were promoted to the section editor positions for the photos and sports sections, respectively, and Rayni Shiring will move from assistant advertising manager to assistant photo editor.
The new hires include Sarah Anderson, a freshman integrated marketing communication major; Ryanne Dougherty, a freshman integrated marketing communication major; Tyler Howe, a sophomore converged journalism major; Brooke Miller, a junior advertising major; and Morgan Miller, a junior integrated market communication major.
Anderson, who began her Rocket journey as a contributor to the campus life section this semester, will take over Hoehler’s position as campus life editor. Morgan Miller, a former lacrosse player along with her sister, Brooke, will serve as Anderson’s assistant.
“What I’m looking forward to the most about being a part of The Rocket is probably just getting to have the experience with everybody and working with a group of people that are also passionate about the same thing I’m passionate about,” Anderson said.
Dougherty will take over Shiel’s position as assistant copy/web editor. A former layout editor-in-chief for her high school newsmagazine, Dougherty hopes to design social media campaigns for companies one day.
Tyler Howe has contributed to The Rocket’s sports section for three semesters, making him one of the most long-term contributors in recent memory. He will serve as the assistant sports editor under his brother, Brendan.
Brooke Miller will join Elisabeth Hale in the Rocket’s advertising section, which has accumulated over $3,000 in print and social media advertising in the fall semester alone.
The Rocket will open applications for all positions after midterms in the spring semester. As of press time, four current staff members are set to graduate in May 2021: Hannah Shumsky (editor-in-chief), Brendan Howe, Lesa Bressanelli (copy/web editor) and Aaron Marrie (multimedia editor).
The Rocket will return in the spring semester with five planned print dates: Feb. 5, Feb. 26, March 12, April 9 and April 23. Anyone interested in contributing next semester should email Shumsky at hms1015@sru.edu.
