Alexa Diaz, a sophomore magazine major, is this semester’s editorial editor following a year as a staff writer and student life columnist.

The D.O.: Why did you want to work in house?

A.D.: I think every time that I would come into the house as a columnist or as a staff writer to do reads, just the energy in the house is just a great thing. And if there’s any publication that you want to be a part of, The D.O. is definitely one of them. I think that the kids in this house are the kids that are doing things and changing things and making real progress on campus. So that’s definitely something I wanted to be a part of.

The D.O.: What are your plans for the opinion section?

A.D.: Bringing in interviews to back up columns is a huge thing I’ve been working on. I know when I was a columnist last semester, it’s not really something that was ever pushed for necessarily. It was always encouraged, but it was always in the background. It’s easy to talk about these big, national issues, but it makes your argument that much stronger if you have an expert saying, “Yeah, you’re right!”

Something that’s also been a huge part of working with Brett and Mara (the managing editor and editor in chief) is trying to make columns applicable to our target audience, which is Syracuse University students.Trying to make everything, no matter whether it’s a global issue, whether it’s a national issue, to have the columnists think, “How does this affect college students?” When students are reading it, you want them to say, “Oh, this actually applies to me,” or “In what ways does this apply to me?”

Taking the time to work with each columnist is so important, and understanding their writing style and just working with them to more clearly echo the ideas that they’re trying to communicate with readers. That’s not something I’m revamping, it’s just something I want to continue that past editorial editors have done.

The D.O.: What is your favorite part of working in house?

A.D.: I think that goes back to the energy 一 I love meeting everyone. Being surrounded by such an incredible group of college students that are doing, honestly, phenomenal things that I don’t think many people are capable of doing every single night. I think it’s an incredible thing to be a part of, and that’s why I love being at The D.O. house.

The D.O.: What’s your favorite pup food?

A.D.: My favorite pup food? Such a big question! I really like cookies, they’re a really nice pick-me-up at the end of the day. I don’t eat meat or anything and I try to avoid animal products, so cookies are a really nice thing. Or when Sara Swann (the asst. news editor) made brownies, those were really good, too.

Published on October 17, 2015 at 4:04 pm

Contact Rachel: rcgilber@syr.edu