A second-year communications student became the editor-in-chief of the campus newspaper in August.
Zack Buster, who served as associate editor last year, said he wants to improve the online edition of Campus Current.
“I want to bring Campus Current into 2022,” Buster said. “I want to equally emphasize the online and print editions of the paper and tie them together more. One of my plans for the future is to enhance the multimedia aspects of Campus Current.”
Buster replaced Dan Elson, who remains with the paper as sports editor.
“I think with this new job he is really going to shine in this new role as a leader,” Elson said. “And everyone looks up to him.”
As editor-in-chief, Buster will write, assign and edit stories. He will also oversee the Campus Current newsroom and will supervise a staff of reporters, photographers and graphic designers.
Staff members said Buster impressed them last semester when he took on some of those responsibilities.
Faculty adviser Sharon O’Malley, a journalism professor, agreed.
“He is a natural,” O’Malley said. “He’s confident. [He is] … making sure everyone’s being paid attention to. He is efficient in the way that he leads meetings. He’s also a really good negotiator. … He’s just got these really mature qualities. And I think that those are great qualities for an editor.”
Sam Gauntt, a high school dual-enrollment student who also serves as the paper’s associate editor, praised Buster’s leadership and mentoring skills.
“I only joined in April but Zack has been super friendly and welcoming,” Gauntt said. “He went out with me to my first story and helped me with that.”
Gauntt said he’s excited to work with Buster in the new newsroom in Humanities 117.
“I think that he has a great knowledge about journalism in general and how to run a successful newsroom,” Gauntt said. “I think he works very well with the faculty adviser and really helps to make a cohesive experience for everyone.”