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The Fall 2009 semester leadership at The Spartan Daily, Advertisement Director Samantha Inouye (left) and Executive Editor Hank Drew at Bentel hall on Wednesday.

A changing of the guard for Spartan Daily leaders

By: Andrew Herndon

Posted: 5/13/09

At the end of each semester, the baton that is the Spartan Daily is passed from one group of editors to the next.

Hank Drew, a senior journalism major, will vault into the executive editor position and Samantha Inouye, a senior advertising major, will be the new advertising director.

Drew said that he feels the pressure of his upcoming responsibilities, but welcomes the challenge.

"I've worked in business, and I have experience that an exec at a college paper might normally not have," Drew said.

He said that the bonds he's made this semester as a staff writer with fellow reporters and contacts within the community will be useful as executive editor.

"It's a good learning experience for me and a chance to exercise my managerial muscle," Drew said.

Drew said that he plans on continuing the work ethic and expectations that former Executive Editor John Hornberg instilled in his staff over the course of the semester.

"The output of the Spartan Daily speaks for itself this past semester," Drew said. "I think he went above and beyond what was there before."

There is a symbiotic relationship between editorial and advertising, and on the other side of the fence is senior advertising major Samantha Inouye, who is stepping up into the position of advertising director.

"Samantha has been a star on our staff this semester," said Tim Hendrick, the advertising assistant professor and Daily adviser. "I'm absolutely confident she's going to be a star as an ad director."

Inouye said she pursued the position of ad director after one semester serving on the advertising staff because she enjoyed the responsibility of working on the newspaper.

"I wanted to come back and a management position was open," Inouye said. "I thought it would be a good challenge."

Hendrick said former ad director Vanessa Alessi did a terrific job in her role and Inouye may have large shoes to fill due to the recent recession.

"Sales have held even and up a little bit in this down economy," Hendrick said.

Though the editorial and advertising departments may disagree at times, no serious problems have surfaced in about five years, Hendrick said.

Separating the newsroom and advertising are two large glass windows and a wall. Inouye said that she wants to open the door between the two departments even more than it has been in the past.

"I would like to work more with editorial - not have it so closed off," she said.

Journalism associate professor and adviser Richard Craig said Hornberg handled the news department well this semester, despite the nature of some of the events that occurred.

"I think we had a really strong paper this year," Craig said. "We did very well in awards, both regionally and nationally. Considering that we turn the staff over every semester, I think we're doing an amazing job."

Hendrick's opinion of the paper parallels Craig's.

"The design, the photography, the stories, just the overall feel of the paper has been exceptionally good," Hendrick said. "We measure that because we don't have them leftover in the racks. Students are taking them."

The Spartan Daily is student run and is the best way for students to learn the art of reporting and editing, Craig said .

"We know people are going to make mistakes and this is the venue where you learn from those," Craig said. "We walk the line between trying to teach people the right way to do things, but also sometimes letting them learn from their mistakes."