Meet the New Boss, Slightly Different From the Old Boss

Before I begin, yes, the picture I used is terrible. And it’s old (about three years old). But it is the least terrible picture I have taken.

I am Dan Crisler, the new editor of The Trojan Times. I hail from the City of Arlington (population circa 900), which is about 25 miles north on Highway 81 from Madison. I am a senior, and I plan to graduate in the spring, if only to avoid the thousands of dollars payment every semester.

If you read the Times last year, you probably saw my name in the articles I have written as a campus journalist. I personally enjoyed that job, and would have done it again if our previous editor, Danielle Rowe, had not been graduating and continued to serve as editor. But she graduated, and I stepped in to take her job, preparing to rule with an iron fist.

On a serious note, I’m not looking to reinvent the wheel here. By and large, the Times should look and run the same as it has. We will still try to upload at least something nearly every day, so I encourage all of you to do stuff that is newsworthy (short of illegal activities).

Perhaps the biggest change that will be apparent to our readers is that they will see a column from me (and my other writers, should they wish to partake) periodically. When I applied for the editor position, having a column was one of my goals because I have opinions and I wish to subject my readers to them.

Actually, I find a column to be the most interesting aspect of a newspaper. I believe that a column is the most effective way to let a journalist have a voice that is difficult to express in a news story. Perhaps directly or indirectly, I believe that having a column allows the rest of the Times to have a more dynamic, human feel since the readers have an insight to who I am (and, hopefully, who our writers are).

My columns will be categorized under two headings: Editorials and Boring and Opinionated. I will categorize a column as an editorial if it is serious in tone. Often, these columns will be political in nature. For all my conservative peers, my editorials will be written from a liberal perspective.

But I would like to think I am a reasonable liberal. Thus, if you agree or disagree with me on a political issue, I encourage feedback. All I ask is that you present your feedback in a civil manner.

But I am aware that people do not like to read a barrage of political editorials, so I will try to keep the majority of my columns light in tone. These columns will be titled “Boring and Opinionated.”

Here, I will write about whatever is on my mind that should not elicit many negative reactions (not that I am afraid of those). It could be about sports (such as St. Louis Cardinals baseball, but I know that 99% of the readers would not care), my personal experiences, or any topic that floats my mind.

Ultimately, however, the Times is not about me. If I didn’t have such a loyal staff of writers and photographer (Tiffany Sommer), the Times would not enjoy the strong position that it is in.

Most of the staff chose to stay on when it came time to transition from Danielle to me. I am eternally grateful for that. So, when you read a story written by one of them, I hope you provide each of them with positive feedback, as there is more to every story than the text presented on the page.

There is the time spent going to the event that is being covered, and the time spent making accommodations to be able to cover that event. There is also the time constructing the story, which is a bigger ratio than perhaps believed to the time it takes people to read that story. I am almost assuredly forgetting several other sacrifices, but the point stands.

And I thank you, the dear reader, for taking the time to read the Times. Your readership validates all our efforts, and will continue to do so.