Van Cleave and Hanlon at the ICPA Awards Javell Sheppard
Our time as Editor and Deputy Editor has been extraordinary, and we are forever grateful for it. The opportunities we have had and the people we have met have changed us in immeasurable ways.
When we first started, we never could have imagined the Xavierite turning into what it is today. But to look back and see how far we have come is a testament to how much we love doing what we do.
The Xavierite has become what we dreamed it could be, and there is still so much left in store.
But as our tenure at the Xavierite comes to an end, we thought it was time to leave you all with a thank you.
Van Cleave: I started at the Xavierite on a whim. Someone in an online class my sophomore year mentioned they were a copy editor and it was at that point I learned we had a newspaper. So I really have Marissa Reilly to thank for getting me involved; without her I probably wouldn’t have joined.
Hanlon: In all honesty, I had never thought about joining a newspaper. When I took a COMM-101 course my first semester here, the professor (Vincent Davis, Ph.D.) asked the class if anyone was interested in joining. I am not sure what drove me to say I was, but looking back, it may have been fate.
Van Cleave: That first year I was with the Xavierite was a blur. I was Sports Editor and I really didn’t know what I was doing, I felt like I was just there. I’d come in and do my office hours and leave. I wasn’t even a half-decent journalist at that point.
That’s why I was so confused when the Director of Student Media, Peter Kreten, approached me at the end of my first year about being Editor-in-Chief. I had no idea what he saw in me, but I’m so grateful he did.
Hanlon: The following semester, I started as a News Reporter. I had no idea what I was doing, but I was so excited to learn. I had no idea what I was doing, so I thought that Kreten was confusing me with someone else when he asked me to be the Deputy Editor-in-Chief that summer.
I was working as an Orientation Leader and Kreten pulled me aside to tell me that he wanted to talk with me about something. Naturally, I asked if it was “something good or bad.” Safe to say, it was something good, and I cannot begin to express how thankful I am for that.
Van Cleave: My first real day as Editor-in-Chief was before the school year started when Kreten wanted me to come in and help move stuff back into our office after he painted it. It was also a chance for me to meet the new Deputy Editor– Hanlon–, who I had literally never seen in the office before. But from that day forward, I knew I’d be okay with them by my side.
Our first semester was quite robotic, between recruiting new staff and getting the newspaper to actually look like a newspaper. What changed everything for us was deciding at the very last minute to print an edition of the paper in February of 2023. I can’t remember what made us want to print, but I’m so grateful we forced the issue.
After our first print issue we started making a PDF version of the weekly and even printed the last issue of the semester– which was a hit, might I add.
This school year has been so different and in a great way. We have a full staff who loves what they’re doing, we cover important stories, and we make a PDF every week we don’t print; we’re a real newspaper now.
Before I got this job I didn’t know how I was a leader and didn’t think I was a difference maker. I do now.
I can’t imagine my life without the Xavierite. I wouldn’t trade the late nights, frustration, arguments, or any of it for anything.
Hanlon: The last two years have been an experience that I would not trade for the world. I barely knew Kreten and I did not know the Editor – Van Cleave – so I was quite nervous. But as we worked together that first day in the office, I knew that everything was going to be just fine.
The first semester was spent learning the ropes. Just as we started to feel confident in our positions, we hit a turning point. At the last minute we decided to print an edition of the paper. We were so adamant that we printed, and I am so glad we did.
After continuing to make a PDF copy of the paper every week, we ended up printing the final issue of the semester. I hope that people enjoyed reading the paper just as much as we enjoyed putting it together.
This school year we had the privilege of having a full staff, and we were able to cover so many important stories. We watched the Xavierite grow into a genuine newspaper over the last two years and I cannot put into words how proud I am. It has been an honor to watch the staff grow in their confidence, their abilities, and as people.
Thank you to our staff, for showing me the efforts Van Cleave and I put in worked. If it was not for the paper, I would not be who I am today. The second home I have made in the office with all of you will forever remain close to my heart.
Van Cleave and Hanlon: One of our proudest moments was the Xavierite’s return to the ICPA Awards in February where we took home six awards, including a first place award. The Xavierite has accomplished so much, and we cannot wait to watch it grow.
Although this last week may feel emotional and you don’t want it to end, always remember we are just a text away and we are forever your number one fans.
Thank you for showing us that we could do it, now it is our turn to show you that you can too. We love you guys.