{"id":14309,"date":"2015-03-24T20:15:09","date_gmt":"2015-03-25T00:15:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/news\/article.php?ArticleID=14309"},"modified":"2018-05-25T12:28:00","modified_gmt":"2018-05-25T16:28:00","slug":"14309_student-spotlight-catherine-baxter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/college-of-communication-and-media\/2015\/03\/24\/14309_student-spotlight-catherine-baxter\/","title":{"rendered":"Student Spotlight: Catherine Baxter"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s 2:30 A.M. Thursday morning and only a handful of egg rolls remain in an aluminum tray next to a half dozen empty chicken lo mein containers on a small conference table in a dimly-lit room in the basement of Montclair State University\u2019s student center. Next to the conference table sitting at an old office desk is Montclair State senior Catherine Baxter, editor-in-chief of Montclair State\u2019s student-run newspaper The Montclarion, and her copy editor, making the third and final round of edits to that week\u2019s edition of the paper. Once completed, Baxter will have roughly 12 hours until she returns to The Montclarion\u2019s newsroom later Thursday to hold the newspaper\u2019s weekly editorial meeting to discuss the most recent edition of The Montclarion as well as topics for next week\u2019s edition. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

When Baxter isn\u2019t entrenched in The Montclarion\u2019s newsroom, she is glued to her phone answering emails, texts and calls from her writers and editors. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like a full-time job,\u201d Baxter said. \u201cI basically oversee everything to make sure it all runs smoothly.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the time-consuming aspect of the job, Baxter relishes her position as editor-in-chief because of the opportunity to work with a diverse group of students, which she highlighted as her favorite part of the job.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI love working with a group of people with diverse backgrounds,\u201d Baxter said, while mentioning that there are everything from journalism and English majors to science and political science majors on her staff. \u201cIt\u2019s good to get such different perspectives when working on a collaborative project like the school paper.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Baxter also mentioned the difficulties that come along with leading such a diverse group of students. \u201cIt\u2019s not always easy to get so many people with strong opinions to buy in. Sometimes it\u2019s hard to get everyone to work together.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the varying opinions and backgrounds on her staff, Baxter seemingly could not be prouder of the way they have come together to produce a quality paper. She talked about how the opinion section always publishes strong articles, including a series of articles about commuting to Montclair State during this past harsh winter. Baxter is proud of how the sports section has expanded over the last six months and is proud of how it now has balanced coverage of Montclair State and professional sports. She pointed out an interesting student spotlight that the entertainment section publishes about art students as well as interesting articles about food and nutrition that the features section often publishes. Baxter is also proud of the news section, in particular a controversial article published about assaults on college campuses and why they are not reported.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite leading an expansive student paper like The Montclarion, Baxter still finds time to write articles for the entertainment section of it. In particular, Baxter is most proud of a piece she wrote regarding ABC Family\u2019s \u201cSwitched at Birth\u201d and the issue of consensual sex. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI thought the issue of date rape and alcohol is an important point to bring up in a college setting,\u201d Baxter said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Writing articles for a student-run paper is how Baxter became interested in journalism initially, when she wrote for her high school\u2019s newspaper in Toms River, New Jersey. Then, on a visit to Montclair State during her orientation in 2011, Baxter talked to the editor in chief of The Montclarion at the time, and began writing for the news section later in the year as a freshman. From her freshman year on, Baxter climbed the ranks of The Montclarion. Starting her sophomore year she became the editor of the news section and by her junior year she was the managing editor.<\/span><\/p>\n

With her four years involved with The Montclarion coming to an end in May, Baxter believes that her experience as provided her with valuable experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve learned how to work with diverse people in a fast-paced environment to accomplish a common goal,\u201d Baxter said. \u201cAlso, I now understand the value of time management.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Baxter will be attending graduate school at Montclair State in the fall, but isn\u2019t sure where that will take her; she is torn between the communication field and higher education. But what she is sure of is she wants to work with a team that she can help grow.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBeing a leader is something anyone can value,\u201d Baxter said.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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