Paddling to New Zealand
Geof Castle
05.31.02

John Lennon once sang, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans," and he might not have known it, but working at a newspaper is very much the same way.
You go into a week with an idea of what's pertinent, what's important, what's worth covering, and then you see Michele McCormack live outside Kelly Hall 24-hours before you have to complete a newspaper. Or the University finalizes a merger, or there's an arrest on campus. That sort of breaking stuff throws a wrench in the weekly works, but that element of timeliness is why they call it news.
As the editor-in-chief, I'm proud of the way The Triangle has covered the aforementioned events as well as countless others. We've written things that, though they may not be especially exciting, should be known by anyone interested in the University, like the censure of President Papadakis and the University's present struggles with shared governance. We've fleshed out rumor by covering the recent New Tower arrest and we filled out the inadequate coverage of television news when Kelly Hall had its mid-April crisis.
We've done all this as a student organization like any other. We've done all this with volunteers who have classes and tests just like any other student. We've done all this despite news being a tall order for any writer. How would you like an extra paper each week that required your research include coordinating with and interviewing several different contacts?
But as proud as I am of the work we've done as an organization, it's necessary to applaud the efforts of six seniors who are graduating after distinguished Triangle careers. Without their help the issues of the last ten weeks and the last several months, or in some cases the last several years, wouldn't have been as good as they are. What better medium to laud their efforts than the publication they've done so much for?
Margaret Caracappa joined The Triangle relatively recently and rapidly rose through our ranks to become chief copy editor. Not only is she a meticulous and gracious editor, she provides balance to an organization where the inmates frequently run the asylum. Every week it's her job to read everything we print, and as anyone who's ever read The Triangle can tell you, that's no easy task.
Dia Siraki works harder than anyone I know. Even if I didn't have so many lazy friends, that would still be an accomplishment. When she served as EIC during the fall term, she did so while taking 20 credits and working 20 hours a week. She's a thoughtful editor, an excellent writer, and commands enough respect to be a pragmatic disciplinarian. Her Aug. 17, 2001 commentary about the relationship of The Triangle with Provost Richard Astro is one of the most even-handed and pertinent pieces ever to grace our ed-op pages.
Though Jonathan Kroll will be with us for the summer, it's still worth noting that he has sacrificed more for The Triangle than almost anyone. Frequently, members say they can't help during a particular week because they've got a big paper, a tough project, or an important test. We understand, but as they say, the show must go on. Jonathan Kroll realizes as much and has gone out of his way to make sure the most important stories are done in time for readers to read them. His efforts to cover Papadakis' censure and the merger required that he dedicate large parts of his day to sitting in a meeting when he should have been sitting in class. We're grateful to have his services for at least one more term, even if it's only for five issues.
I don't know what I'll miss most about Bob Rudderow. His gregarious personality, his outstanding layout expertise, or his letting me park in his driveway. Bob has served as editor-in-chief on more than one occasion, and was in that position when I started at The Triangle. He must have been doing something right because I stuck around, along with several others, and he has always been a patient and knowledgeable guide for every, and I mean every, aspect of creating a newspaper.
Al Stuart's late effort was outstanding. At a time when most senior members look to cut back their involvement, Al stepped up in a big way by serving as editor-in-chief during the winter term. Most seniors want to focus on their senior design projects or on relaxing during their last term in school. Not Al. Despite being in materials engineering, quite possibly the University's most difficult program, and despite going against his own common sense and the common sense of those who know him best, he continued working at the paper and took on even greater responsibility.
Lastly, and I hate to be this melodramatic and gushy, but Nathan Kuruna is the kind of intelligent, ambitious person I was hoping to meet when I started going to Drexel. His drive and innovative efforts in a variety of disciplines are models for anyone who thinks they're creative. I've had a lot of fun working with him on "Diff'rent Spoons" and "Safety Illustration Theatre", and I only hope I can keep up with him when collaborating on future projects.
With all the departures, there's no doubt The Triangle will change, but not worsen. Throughout our history, new members have always answered the call and plugged the emerging holes. We're very lucky to have as many wonderful people as we do and this column wouldn't fit in the paper if I mentioned every staffers' efforts individually.
That said, there are some staffers that have gone above and beyond their job descriptions. Staffers like Chris Duffy are what keep this paper going and are the kind of people that will fill the void created by the departing seniors. Though his title is "Triangle Staff Writer" he does much more. In addition to covering some very difficult news stories, he's been responsible for laying out many of the news sections you¹ve seen in the past weeks, an eight-hour job that usually starts at five on Thursday nights. Just waiting for the paper to be complete on Friday morning is a sign of dedication and something of a feat for those with Friday classes. Chris has done that and more. Efforts like his are what has sustained the paper for 76 years and will continue to drive the paper in years to come.
The Triangle will miss every departing senior, but with an infusion of new blood will come new ideas and invigoration. Despite the losses, we will continue to do our best to provide readers with what they need to know.
As always, we're eager to welcome new members. The fact is we can never get enough. We've done an outstanding job, but there are still stories I kick myself for missing, like when Q102's 12-noon workout came to the Quad or when Drexel held its annual fashion show. There is no finite amount of news. And even when we think we have all of our bases covered, all the meetings and all the lectures attended, something never fails to pop up.
But that's life.