The Student Publication Committee elected the new editors in chief of The Daily Cougar and The Houstonian for the summer and fall semesters during its meeting on Monday at the University Center’s Lone Star Room.
Communication junior Matthew Keever was chosen as The Daily Cougar’s editor in chief, and education and communication senior Patricia Estrada was voted editor in chief for the Houstonian.
Keever, who serves as The Daily Cougar’s managing editor, ran unopposed and will replace Editor in Chief Ronnie Turner. Estrada, a co-news editor for The Daily Cougar and the yearbook’s marketing director, was elected over photo editor Kendra Berglund.
Keever said he wants to continue the success of The Daily Cougar, which he said has traditionally had strong editors.
“In the past, there have been some great editors,” Keever said. “I want to continue this tradition, increase readership and reward the hard workers.”
Estrada hopes to use her experience to improve marketing of the yearbook.
“I want to promote the book,” Estrada said. “So much work goes into it, and it is sad that people don’t know about it. I am committed to increasing awareness that the yearbook is out there.
“One of the ways I plan to do this is by reaching out to professors in the marketing department at Bauer (to) see if maybe they can make it a part of a classroom project or extra credit, or at least give us some pointers.”
Keever said he wants communication majors of every type to get involved with the paper and communicate with professors and editors alike early on in their academic careers.
“It’s important for students to develop a professional relationship with the professors early, so they get an understanding of how the journalism world works right off the bat rather than wait until their sophomore or junior year when they might already be mentally checked out,” he said.
Estrada also said she hopes to improve the photography in The Houstonian, citing improved communication between the photographers and editor.
“Photography is such a big part of the yearbook,” she said. “Communication with photographers will also play a huge part. The editor should always know exactly what the photographer is going to shoot.”
Keever emphasized that even the editorial board is comprised of students.
“There are seniors who are print journalism majors that I don’t know,” he said. “Freshmen often get the impression that, if they write for the newspaper, they will be harshly criticized and degraded. I want them to know that that is not the case, and that they can relate to the editors and have healthy professional relationships with them.”
Keever said he plans to utilize the budget as efficiently as possible.
“We will work with the UH administration to make sure our priorities are in place,” he said. “We will use the budget wisely and efficiently to cover all aspects of campus in the Cougar.”