What roles have you held on The Dartmouth, and what was your role on the 181st Directorate?
Emily Fagell ’25: For the past year, I’ve served as editor-in-chief. Before that, I was a managing editor, associate executive editor, special issue editor, associate managing editor and news reporter.
Mikey Bond ’25: I was a photographer for a year, and then a photography section editor last spring and this winter. I originally joined 181 to fill in for Hannah [Li] and Emil [Liden] on their off terms, but continued helping out this winter as well!
Marius DeMartino ’25: I’ve been a Mirror writer since my freshman winter and was one of the Mirror editors!
Connor Norris ’25: I held the mighty position of cartoon section editor on 181. Before that? Staff cartoonist. Honorable mention? I was also the paper boy for a few terms.
Gretchen Bauman ’25: I’m one of the Mirror editors on 181, and before that, I was associate Mirror editor and a special issue editor for the Freshman Special Issue. I originally joined Mirror during my freshman fall.
Aubrey Lennon ’25: I have been the templating co-editor with Brooke Leggat on both the 180th and 181st Directorates!
Gianna Totani ’25: I’m currently the news executive editor. I started off as an arts and Mirror writer, then I became associate arts editor, Green Key Special Issue editor, associate news executive editor and arts editor.
Hannah Li ’25: I was previously a staff photographer. On the 180th and the 181st Directorates, I have served as the photography section editor.
Allison Burg ’25: I have been the data visualization editor on both the 180th and 181st Directorates. I also had brief stints as the associate Mirror editor (23F) and assistant production executive editor (23W), in addition to editing my sophomore summer. I have written for Mirror since 21F.
Shena Han ’25: I’m currently the production executive editor, and previously I’ve been a news writer, associate managing editor, special issue editor, associate production executive editor and managing editor.
Arizbeth Rojas ’25: On 181, I was a managing editor.
Tess Bowler ’25: For both the 180th and 181st Directorates I was editor of Mirror. I was also an associate executive editor for a quarter during the 180th Directorate.
Aryanna Qusba ’25: On 181, I was one of the sports editors.
Why did you initially join The Dartmouth?
EF: I loved working on my high school newspaper and was excited to continue pursuing journalism in college. I also thought The D would be a great way to meet new people and connect with the broader Dartmouth community — and I was right!
MB: During my freshman summer, I found my dad’s old film SLR camera from the 1990s and got hooked on photography. When I came back to campus sophomore year, I wanted to find a way to keep taking pictures and applied for The D!
MD: I liked reading the Mirror and wanted to write!
CN: I wanted an outlet to put funny things out for campus to see.
GB: My First-Year Trip leader, Caris White, was a Mirror editor, and her article in the 21F Freshman Special Issue made me realize how cool Mirror was. I’ve always loved to write and thought Mirror would provide me with a space to reflect on my college experience!
AL: I recognized the significance of student journalism on campus and knew I wanted to get involved and found templating to be the perfect way to do so given my skill set and interests.
GT: I did some journalism in high school, so joining America’s Oldest College Newspaper was a priority when I got to campus freshman fall! I was so excited to continue writing and to make new friends!
HL: I wanted to join the photography team and grow as a photojournalist.
AB: My freshman fall, I joined the Mirror section because I loved to write. In high school, I had solely done science-related activities, so I wanted to switch it up at college — which is funny, in hindsight, since I wound up running the data visualization team on 181!
SH: Though my high school didn’t have a student newspaper, I loved to write and thought joining The D would allow me to do so in a new way. Back then, I had no idea how much that would grow to be true, or how much I would learn.
AR: I love talking to strangers. I love constructing narratives and piecing together perspectives like puzzle pieces. I’ve had several wonderful conversations with professors, Hanover police officers, the Dartmouth College Republicans advisor and student protestors that have expanded my worldview. I’m so lucky to be in a position where I can just meet with so many interesting people at a moment’s notice.
TB: I had always wanted to be some sort of editor, but was never interested in the idea of journalism until I discovered Mirror during my freshman spring and realized it was the perfect fit for my style of writing and interests.
What’s your favorite article, photo, cartoon or design that you’ve written, created or taken?
EF: “‘My favorite part is eating’: Foco kids serve up their thoughts” — I wrote this Mirror piece over sophomore summer, and I had so much fun chatting with “Foco kids” about the dining hall. My interviewees were adorable and had some great takes.
MB: My favorite photos have always been live events around campus, from Green Key to the protests last May. I’ve also done a few photo essays of wildlife that I really enjoyed!
MD: Any of my overly melancholy winter reflections, or “Hanover’s Little Slice of Paradise,” my spotlight on the Life Sciences Center greenhouse.
CN: That would have to be a cartoon I did called “Rush Questions.” I thought that one hit the marks of being concise, smart, silly and semi-Dartmouth related.
GB: Either “Daily Dippers Make a Splash,” which I co-wrote with Eliza Dunn — we dipped in the Connecticut River every day for a week for “research” — or my Editor’s Note that I wrote about hiking the Dartmouth Fifty.
GT: “A Look Back at Dartmouth’s Most Prized Treasures” — I got to do a ton of cool research at Rauner, and I even got to put on special gloves and hold the Wentworth Bowl!
HL: My photo essays on Green Key 2023 and Commencement 2023.
AB: “How Dartmouth Can Humble You” — my very first reflection!
SH: Some of the designs I’ve done have been more fun for me to look back on than the articles! I think my favorite is one I did for an article — that I also edited — in the 2023 Freshman Special Issue.
AR: “Dirt Cowboy Begins Selling ‘The Real Anthony Fauci.’” I showed up to Dirt Cowboy almost everyday for a week, begging cashiers to talk to me with anonymity. I sleuthed and eventually got a barista to connect me with a former barista who would talk. I learned a lot about entering interviews with balanced, non-judgemental questions. Overall, it was an awesome investigative story about something so local and microscopic.
TB: “Anyone Have a Light?” has a special place in my heart because it was the first time people came up to me in public to compliment an article I had written. It also started an argument in my friend’s Arabic class and is featured on the syllabus of a public policy class, which is pretty cool.
AQ: “50th annual Dartmouth Powwow, lūʻau to be held this weekend.”
What’s something about The Dartmouth or college journalism that you didn’t expect before joining?
EF: I didn’t know how many amazing people I would meet through The D, both on the paper’s staff and beyond. I’ve truly made so many of my closest friends in the newsroom, and I’m so thankful for the community the paper has given me.
MB: There is so much more happening on campus than you’ll ever be able to experience firsthand.
MD: That I would meet so many of my best friends.
CN: How hands-on the production nights are. It’s a true community gathering towards a common goal that is just like the movies.
GB: I didn’t come into college expecting to get involved in journalism, so I didn’t anticipate how much I would grow to love and care about Mirror and The Dartmouth.
AL: I don’t think I realized just how varied of a group The D staff is. The variety of writing styles and forms within the paper is really inspiring to get to read and template every week.
GT: The amazing friendships that I would make!
HL: The impact it can have on a national scale.
AB: I am surprised by just how many people I met through The D, who are now among some of my closest friends. I never expected to be data visualization editor. With that, I was also surprised by just how much change you can bring to college journalism if you put in the work — it’s been amazing to watch my section grow from rarely having meetings to being much more active within the past two years.
SH: I had no idea about the sheer amount of moving parts there are and the number of people needed to put in the work and keep things running, and it’s been amazing to see firsthand how dedicated so many people are!
AR: How formulaic it can be. As a freshman, I found the structure annoying and limiting. As an editor, I realized that working within the box actually can push you to be more creative at times, and this standardized approach grants you trust with your readers. Arranging quotes and letting them speak for themselves is the real story.
TB: How much work goes into every article before it’s published, which makes it even more impressive that we’re completely student-run.
AQ: How fun it is to go to random events and talk to random people to put together a story!
What’s on your post-Directorate bucket list for senior spring?
EF: Taking a ceramics class, going to Sanborn tea as much as possible and spending lots of time with friends. I’m also taking a fly fishing class with some current D editors!
MB: Definitely going out more and not spending my on-nights studying! The spring term is one last chance to make fun memories with friends.
MD: Going to Han Fusion with the other Mirror editors every Tuesday night and learning to DJ.
CN: Get a job, get a job, get a job.
GB: Milk a cow with Emily Fagell, run the Burlington Marathon and take my parents to Lodge dinner.
AL: This is boring, but I’m really excited to be able to go to bed early on Thursdays.
GT: Enjoying the outdoors, doing a lot of yoga, running another half marathon and soaking up as much time as possible with the people I love!
HL: Find joy in taking photos again.
AB: Daily dip! Swimming holes! Harpoon Brewery! Rollerblade! Quechee Gorge!
SH: I don’t exactly have a bucket list — I’m planning to keep myself open to new experiences as they come up and see where the spring takes me.
AR: I want to write for the opinion section. I have many opinions. I’ve been thinking about this piece about the Democratic Party in 1969 and how it’s in a similar position today, and I can’t wait to write it.
TB: Watching movies, swimming at Quechee Gorge, continuing to write articles and participating in pond skim!
What’s your favorite article written by a section that’s not your own?
EF: There are too many great articles to choose just one!
MB: I’ve always enjoyed Mirror’s spotlights on local businesses!
MD: “Review: Fred Again Brings Movement to the Forefront” in arts.
CN: Selfishly, the arts piece highlighting Can’t Sell Culture, the comedy group I co-founded.
GB: “Bond Almand IV ’26 breaks ‘Pan-American’ cycling world record.” I’m also partial to Connor Norris’s cartoons.
AL: I really loved “Mirror Asks: Valentine’s Day Edition.” It was a really great read, and us templaters had a lot of fun trying to figure out how to make a heart shaped image to go with it.
GT: This is such a hard question. I love Mirror reflections, the Weekenders Column in Mirror and fun, lighthearted Dartmouth-centric pieces.
HL: The live updates of the campus encampments last spring were really cool to see.
AB: “Is Dartmouth a Panopticon,” by Adrienne Murr. When I walk to class each morning on West Wheelock Street and I feel as if I am being watched by people driving past, I’m reminded of this article! I also love how Adrienne writes.
SH: I love Ryan Alahyari’s opinion columns, especially “Alahyari: Where Have the Trees Gone?” about bringing the American elm back to campus. It was so well-researched, Dartmouth-specific and made me care about something I’d never previously thought about.
AR: Leila Brady’s “What’s in a Woccom.” The article reminds me that I am working so hard precisely so that I can waste my time on beautiful walks with friends. After reading this piece, I decided to go on a woccom every day of my senior spring and invite a rotating cast of friends to join me.
TB: The famously funny and pertinent opinion guest column: “Shores: A Semi-Official Petition to End Dartmouth’s Puritanical War on Outdoor Drinking Games.”
AQ: I loved Ellie Anderson’s recent Mirror article about being perpetually sick on campus.
What’s your favorite song on the newsroom playlist?
EF: I love the newsroom playlist, so this is a tough one. Probably “Sedona” by Houndmouth.
MD: “Linger” by the Cranberries — ALWAYS.
CN: Whatever Shena’s playing.
GB: “Dog Days Are Over” by Florence and the Machine.
AL: Templating has our own playlist that we’ve been curating recently, and we’ve all been loving the latest Sarah Kinsley album!
GT: “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant” by Billy Joel.
HL: “All Your’n” by Tyler Childers.
AB: “Don’t Forget Me” by Maggie Rogers.
SH: “Oklahoma Smokeshow” by Zach Bryan.
TB: “Iris” by The Goo Goo Dolls.
What’s the latest that you’ve been in the newsroom?
EF: 5:30 a.m. The sunrise is beautiful from the newsroom windows!
MB: Thankfully not very late, since photo is usually required to get our stuff in by 6 p.m.
MD: Probably around 1:30-2 a.m.
CN: Three a.m.
GB: Three a.m. over sophomore summer when I had to template our print issue — and I had no idea how to template.
AL: I am usually templating until midnight and have sometimes stayed in Robo, but usually I finish virtually from the comfort of my own bed, or Shena comes to my rescue.
GT: Two a.m.?
HL: Photo doesn’t take super long to edit or upload, but I have gotten out of bed past midnight to work with execs to make sure things were formatted properly for photo essays before.
AB: Around 1:30 a.m.!
SH: Two-fifteen a.m., because that’s when the last bus leaves for the Summit apartments.
TB: 2:30 a.m.
What’s your ideal dinner to eat while editing?
EF: I love our start-of-the-term pizza dinners when the full directorate eats together in the newsroom.
MB: Collis pasta.
MD: Snackpass Tuk Tuk.
CN: Collis taco bowl.
GB: Every week I eat the mozzarella, tomato and basil sandwich from Collis and a protein bar and drink a Diet Dr. Pepper.
AL: Unsure if this is ideal, but the most common is definitely Collis pasta.
GT: BULGOGI BOWL (R.I.P.).
AB: Collis sushi, always.
SH: I’m kind of over them now, but I used to love a good Collis burrito bowl.
TB: Collis bulgogi bowl or tuna sushi roll with a Naked smoothie.
AQ: Tuk Tuk.
Every week, The Dartmouth’s editor-in-chief and executive editors share their inspiration for the week in our internal newsletter, News about News. In that vein, what is your inspiration for the week?
EF: My inspo this week (and every week!) is the 181st Directorate. I’m so amazed by the dedication every editor has brought to The D and so grateful to have worked with such an amazing team.
MB: My friend Chase, who is working on his senior fellowship film and always tells me about the music he’s writing!
MD: A big, big cake with Gianna’s face on it this Thursday (her birthday!).
CN: My inspo for this week is those on 181 who stuck it out ’til the end. Wasn’t always easy. Many didn’t make it. Most, even. But what a crew of those who remain!
GB: The thought of boat formal (“bormal”), the Vermontasaurus in Post Mills, Vt. and the goats at Hogwash Farm on Goodrich Four Corners Road in Norwich, Vt. who made eye contact with me last week as I ran by them.
AL: The grandparents from “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”
GT: My inspo this week is 181! We have had such an amazing run, and I am so proud of everything we have accomplished. I am really going to miss all of the laughs and production nights in the newsroom.
HL: The penne sausage pasta I ate for lunch at Collis, and Mikey Madison winning Best Actress at the Oscars.
AB: Creative mediums — they are so important! I went to the Ceramics Studio the other day and it was so nice to forget about anything other than art for a few hours and make my mug in silence. I also have been really into writing poetry recently, and I’m trying to read before bed.
SH: I’m inspired by all of 181, but I want to give a shout out to the Mirror editors in particular for making their section such a creative, fun and engaging one over the past year.
TB: My poolside read “Naples 1925: Adorno, Benjamin and the Summer that Made Critical Theory” just came in the mail and reminded me that spring break is just around the corner.
