Despite the stress and demands of being an editor, senior English major Dana Curcio just hasn't had enough.

While finishing up her time as editor of the Burr for the fall 2003 semester, Curcio was one of two candidates whom the JMC Media Board interviewed November 21 to be editor of the Daily Kent Stater in the spring.

During the interview, Curcio told the Media Board that one of her main ideas for the newspaper's future involves expanding the staff's knowledge and talents.

"I would like to see the students who have risen in the ranks not have to bear all the responsibilities," she said. "I want to create an environment where the Stater is not only a learning newspaper, but a teaching paper also."

This means, Curcio said, that Stater staff members who have extensive knowledge in areas such as design could teach new students, so that eventually those new students could take on more responsibilities and gain experience.

She also said she would encourage students to cover issues in addition to events.

"If there's a protest, that means there are some students who care about that issue," Curcio said to exemplify her point. "We should write stories about those issues, instead of 'There will be a speaker at the Kiva tonight.'"

Before leaving the room, Curcio told the Board she has the trust of many of the people with whom she would work if she became editor of the Stater, because she has worked with all of them in her journalistic endeavors in college.

Afterward, Curcio said she had felt both scared and excited during the interview.

"It's like when you're in a room with someone you have a crush on, and you're excited about the possibilities, but you're scared that nothing will happen," she said.

"My number one goal is to improve communication," he told the Board at the beginning of the interview. "I want to improve communication amongst the staff, and also between the staff and the readers."

Gallagher, who has served the Stater in positions ranging from news correspondent to assistant editor,

said he thinks the paper needs greater diversity in its content as well.

Stater candidates Dana Curcio and Jason Gallagher wait to hear who will be chosen for the position. Photo by Marie B. Ho.

To accomplish diversity, Gallagher said he would sit down with the College Republicans and talk to them, and he would meet with minority leaders on campus and work with them as well.

The Stater Web site would also see some improvements under his leadership, Gallagher said, as he would hire a Web editor to focus on the content of the site.

Awaiting the Board's decision outside the conference room following his interview, Gallagher said he has had many ideas for improvements to the Stater since he was a freshman.

"I haven't been able to implement those ideas because I wasn't in the position," he said.

About ten minutes later, Board Chairwoman Evonne Whitmore came out of the conference room and told both candidates that the board had been very impressed by their interviews.

And turning to Curcio, she congratulated her on her new position as editor of the Daily Kent Stater.

Later, Curcio described her feelings as being "the same as they were before the interview, but now a little more real."

"I've spent the last couple weeks brainstorming about what I would do to the Stater," she said. "The more I thought about it, the more I was scared that if I didn't get that position, those dreams wouldn't come into fruition.

"Now that I have it, I can make those dreams happen."

Stater adviser Carl Schierhorn said he believes Curcio's experience with the Burr will help her in her new job.

"It still isn't going to be easy to transfer her skills from a small operation [the Burr] to a large operation, but I think she can do it," he said.

Click here to find out how the JMC Media Board chose the candidates

Click here to find out who the new TV2 general manager is - and what that person has done to earn the position

Click here to find out why it was so difficult for the media board to decide on the Burr's new editor

Story by Angelique McKowan