IDS, Arbutus name new editors in chief

In meetings Thursday and Friday, the Board of Publications for the Indiana Daily Student and the Arbutus yearbook named junior Adam Aasen fall editor in chief, senior Gavin Lesnick summer IDS editor in chief, and sophomore Katie Farrer editor in chief for the 2005-06 edition of the Arbutus. All three candidates ran unopposed.\nAasen, who is the current sports editor, said in his application he hopes to increase the appeal of the IDS by finding "a balance between the reader-friendliness of USA Today and in-depth content of The New York Times."\n"My plan is to build something that'll be here after I leave," Aasen said. \nUnder past editors, the IDS has garnered a number of awards, including a Silver Crown for the fall of 2003 under Editor in Chief Cory Schouten and a Gold Crown for the spring of 2004 under Adam VanOsdol. The paper was also named Online Publication of the Year, Print Advertising Publication of the Year and Division I Newspaper by the Indiana Collegiate Press Association for 2005. \nAasen said in his application that he plans to continue the IDS's tradition of success.\n"We've achieved greatness in the past," Aasen said. "We can do it again."\nA self-proclaimed "journalism nerd," Aasen has performed a number of duties at the IDS over the past three years, including staff writer, campus editor, managing editor and Weekend editor in chief. Current editor in chief Josh Sanburn said Aasen's ambition has earned him the necessary skills to perform the duties of editor in chief. \n"I knew he would be editor in chief a long time ago, just because of the way that I saw him work and the way he always took on new desks and new challenges," Sanburn said. "This semester he wanted to tackle the sports desk, which was a desk he had never even worked for ... and he's done an amazing job at it, too."\nIDS and Arbutus Publisher David Adams agrees that Aasen's personality and experience at the paper more than qualifies him for the job. \n"I think Adam has been training for this job since the first day he came into the IDS newsroom his freshman year," Adams said. "He's a team builder and a person with great personal enthusiasm that will take the paper to even higher levels of achievement and service. He can make decisions and move forward and his peers respect him for those qualities."\nLesnick, who will begin as editor in chief in May, stressed the importance of diversity at the IDS and encouraged students from all backgrounds to become involved. \n"I want anyone who's ever had an interest in journalism to stop by and give us a try," he said. "I want this to be a place where people from all walks of life can come and share their diversity." \nUtilizing his experience in a number of positions at the IDS, including daytime Web editor, sports editor and staff writer, Lesnick said he hopes to further the efficiency of the paper's Web site, www.idsnews.com, by decreasing load time and posting daily news updates during the summer. Adams, who is also a member of the Board of Publications, said Lesnick's plans for the Web reflect a beneficial understanding of current trends. \n"Traditional print media are going through a change in which more readers are turning to their news on the Web, and Gavin has a wonderful grasp on how the print and electronic editions of the IDS can work together to increase the reach of the IDS in serving more readers," Adams said. \nSanburn agrees that Lesnick's knowledge of the Web will further the newspaper's reach.\n"He has a great knowledge of the Web ... and that's exactly what you need for a summer staff, because when you're publishing only on Monday and Thursdays, news isn't going to happen only on a Sunday and Wednesday night," he said. "It's going to happen all week, and utilizing the Web during the summer is probably the most important thing you can do."\nNext year's Arbutus Editor in Chief Katie Farrer has earned the respect of her peers, said current editor in chief Theresa Schwartz. \n"She's incredibly organized and on time with everything," Schwartz said. "She has been the single most consistent staff member for the past two years, and I wouldn't have picked anyone else to be editor." \nFarrer, who has worked as a staff photographer on the yearbook as well as people and organizations editor, said her first priority as editor is to increase marketing for the Arbutus.\nIn spite of winning ICPA Division I Yearbook of the Year for 2005, Farrer said the yearbook receives little recognition among students.\n"The hardest part will be getting student interest in the book and getting the name out there, because it's been kind of neglected," she said. \nAdams said Farrer's ambition couldn't have come at a better time. \n"She had an outstanding application and came in with a lot of ideas to reconnect the Arbutus with our campus in terms of coverage and yearbook sales," he said. "I think she's going to be a dynamic editor for the yearbook at a time when we really need it."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Hannah Lodge at hjlodge@indiana.edu.