Daily Skiff

The Student Publications Committee selected the new editor-in-chief and advertising manager for the Daily Skiff for the fall 2008 semester and editor-in-chief of Image magazine for the 2008-2009 school year Friday.

Bailey Shiffler was selected to be editor-in-chief of the Skiff and Kerry Crump was selected to be advertising manager.

"These were incredibly competitive positions, and both of them had impressive qualifications," said Ron Pitcock, chair of the Student Publications Committee. "We look forward to seeing what they do."

Shiffler, a junior international communication major, was selected from among three candidates for the position of editor-in-chief. She previously worked for the Skiff as news editor and is the current managing editor.

Shiffler said she wants to work as editor-in-chief to keep improving DailySkiff.com and to increase circulation by increasing the credibility of the Skiff and covering news that interests students, but she said she feels the Skiff needs no major changes overall.

"The paper is great as it is; we just need to keep improving the little things," Shiffler said.

Crump, a senior advertising/public relations major, was selected as advertising manager. She is currently an account executive and was the only applicant.

Crump said motivation is the biggest need in the advertising division.

"This is not an easy job," Crump said. "We need people who will be here every day and understand that this is a real-world operation."

Crump said changes she will make include making it mandatory for advertising representatives to meet with clients three days a week and creating a points system to motivate representatives.

Robert Bohler, the student publications director, said character is the most important qualification for any editor.

"There are going to be a lot of people that have the technical skills," Bohler said. "The chief characteristic to look for - whether it's in an editor-in-chief or a staff reporter or a staff editor - is good character and the ability to work together and to step in when nobody else is there."

Jordan Haygood, a junior news-editorial journalism major, was also selected Friday from among two candidates as editor-in-chief of Image magazine for the 2008-2009 school year. He currently works for the Skiff as features editor.

Haygood said he wants the Image staff to not be afraid to cover more hard-hitting material, including potentially taboo subjects, to give students a different image of the campus.

"Image didn't become No. 1 student magazine in the nation by (the Society of Professional Journalists) by 'good' design and 'decent' stories," Haygood said. "We need to keep up the quality of the magazine."

Haygood said even though the magazine only comes out twice a semester, he would like to get content on the Web site monthly. He said he will be picking staff members with experience in design, photography and writing.

"The staff will all be making decisions together, not just me," Haygood said.

Article Tools