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Hot off the press

October 20, 2008

My dad is quite the opportunist. Throughout high school, he always encouraged me to try out new activities or student organizations. Bringing home magazine clips of the newest events in Central Florida, he would recommend plays, restaurants and festivals. And when I asked him to help me find internships and scholarships, I soon found that my inbox was overflowing with an influx of e-mails. So it is no wonder that when I first came to Rollins, he encouraged me to give the college newspaper a try. “You are a good writer….You might like it,” he would say to me. A freshman, with only a checkered bag and a pile of books to my name, I decided that it wouldn’t hurt to try.

A few weeks after classes had started, I found myself searching for The Sandspur office. It was hidden in the third floor of the Mills building, and after a long series of stairs, I walked right up to its doorstep. A small room tucked in the large Mills abyss, the office was crowded with wooden desks, aged desktops with overheated monitors, an assortment of non-color coordinated chairs, and a faded couch tucked humbly in the back. To some, it may have looked like a literary dungeon. To me, it was a piece of art.

I took my place on the couch, and found myself enveloped in its cushions, soft and worn from all the bodies that had lay on its old cushions before me. A few minutes later, the first meeting of the year started, and within half an hour, all of the articles and pictures that were to go into the first issue had been snatched up by the eager reporters crowded around me.

I signed up for two articles and was starry-eyed at the idea that my literary work would be in print. Coming from a small school, a high school newspaper wasn’t available. So this was a new thing for me, and this was how my relationship with The Sandspur would be for the rest of the semester: I would breathlessly climb up the tiring flight of stairs, take my place among the faded pillows of the couch, wait anxiously to claim the articles I wanted, and then a few days later, rush to the newsstands and pick up a few copies of the latest issue. It was a beautiful fling, and it paid well (every contributing writer gets paid for their submitted work.)

Little did I know that my relationship with The Sandspur was about to take an unexpected step in a new direction. With the end of the semester approaching, several of The Sandspur’s editorial staff were graduating from Rollins and heading off to greater and grander things. This left several editorial positions open to the rest of The Sandspur community, and after a somewhat lengthy set of paperwork, I was promoted to the position of Life & Times Editor. It was this transition that marked the beginning of my love affair with The Sandspur.

From R-Journal

Photo: Here I am with The Sandspur's Editor in Chief, Justin Braun.
Being a writer for The Sandspur is one thing, but working as an editor is something totally different. Instead of just spending an hour and a half each week writing an article, I began spending six to seven hours a week hidden in third floor of Mills among the rest of the editorial clan, sitting at one of the desktops with an overheated monitor and non-color coordinated chair. An awkward relationship at first, I soon began to fall head over heels for the paper, and now two semesters later, we are still going strong.

The bi-weekly editorial “layout sessions” (where all of the editors lay out the paper) are some of the best parts of my week. Our six to midnight schedule allows us plenty of time to bond over Dominos and take out Chinese food. We all sit huddled up to our computers as random conversations flow out of our tired minds as we listen to the latest promotional materials (free CDs) sent to our office. Occasionally, we will all take a quick work break to watch the latest Youtube videos and run down to The Grille to buy a cup of ice cream or a greasy quesadilla. Regardless of our work interruptions, we always manage to meet our deadline: a fact that can only be attributed to all of the dedicated and hardworking students that are a part of our Sandspur staff.

From R-Journal

Photo: Arts & Entertainment Editor, Nick Zazulia, sitting in front of our article assignment board during a late-night layout session.

I can honestly say that being an editor on The Sandspur has become a part of my identity at Rollins. It is a production that I am glad to be a part of, and a tradition that I am proud to carry on. (The Sandspur is “The Oldest College Newspaper in Florida.”) Being a part of the The Sandspur has also opened a lot of doors for me. Last year, when OneRepublic came to perform a show at Rollins, I was able to interview their drummer, Eddie Fisher, and bassist, Brent Kutzle. Also, just this past weekend, through The Sandspur, I was able to set up an interview with one of my favorite pop punk bands, Mayday Parade, at a concert at the House of Blues.

From R-Journal

Photo: Here I am with Rollins student JD Casto and OneRepublic's Eddie and Brent an hour before they performed for Rollins as a part of the Crocs Tour.

Although I am involved in many student organizations on campus, The Sandspur definitely holds a special place in my heart. Our small little office, with all of its mismatched furniture and aging computers, is a second home to me on campus. It’s where I have spent long hours working on newspaper pages as well as lazily sitting on the faded couch doing homework, but more importantly our space is filled with some of the people at Rollins that mean the most to me and with whom I have shared so many memories and laughs. So I guess I should say a special thank you to my dad for being the wonderful opportunist that he is, because this time it has certainly paid off.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81MwCxOF_jI
Video: This is a clip from the "Open Mic Night" that The Sandspur hosted at the beginning of this semester.

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