Somewhere in Philadelphia, born and raised, The Lamron office is where junior Emma Bixler spends most of her days. The current News section editor will be editor-in-chief next year and is looking forward to the opportunity.
“I remember my freshman year noticing that the paper was small, but recognizing the fact that I could move up to new positions and joking with my friends saying, ‘You know, maybe one day I’ll be editor-in-chief,’” she said. “When I got the position of editor-in-chief, my best friend … he said, ‘You remember freshman year when you were joking about being editor-in-chief and now here you are and you’re going to take that position over.’”
Bixler is a part of the small minority of students who come from outside of New York. Her mom helped her find colleges near her grandparents’ lake house on Lake Tuscarora in Erieville, New York—just southeast of Syracuse.
“When I started looking at schools, my mom just Googled schools in the area—within three or four hours of our lake house—and Geneseo came up,” Bixler said. “I toured and really, really liked the campus and liked what Geneseo stood for as a school and I actually applied early decision … I’m here and I love it—it’s really fun.”
Bixler started with The Lamron as soon as she got to campus. A self-described “news geek,” she applied to be an assistant News editor in her first semester. She became the associate News editor in the second semester of her sophomore year and became the News editor a year later.
As editor-in-chief, Bixler has plenty of ideas for steering the paper in the right direction. “The Lamron caters to students and talks about issues that are directly involved in students’ lives, so I want people to know that that really should be their number one resource,” she said. “We’re talking about issues that are relevant to students, are important, are interesting, so I think that that’s probably one of my number one goals: making it accessible and well known across campus.”
Another important aspect of her time as editor-in-chief will be optimizing The Lamron’s digital presence. “Social media is a huge thing,” Bixler said. “I think the new website will be a large factor in that because in this whole new digital age, news has completely changed.”
Bixler noted that she also wanted to pursue more investigative pieces in the News section. “Investigative journalism is really a big goal for me and [freshman] Annie [Renaud]—who’s going to be the News editor,” she said. “I think that The Lamron—this year especially—has done a very good job of addressing issues that can sometimes be a little touchy or maybe the school doesn’t really want us to know about. But that’s our job: to make students well aware of what’s going on.”
Bixler is a member of Sigma Delta Tau sorority. She served as the social chair this semester, noting that it was a big time commitment—especially with her dedication to the News section. “I love hanging out with my friends in my sorority,” Bixler said. “I think that college is a one-time-only experience, so you might as well enjoy it as much as you can—while prioritizing your work and doing productive things.”
Bixler also emphasized that she enjoyed doing outdoor activities and traveling. “I like hiking and running—they’re two really big things that I think are great, especially around Geneseo because it’s so beautiful,” she said.
After graduation, Bixler isn’t sure what she’ll end up doing. “I’ve considered going to graduate school—I think that’s a necessity, especially in the field of journalism, because that is what I want to eventually pursue … I’ve considered volunteering … I’ve looked at AmeriCorps and other things that are domestic, just because that’s really important and sometimes can be overlooked,” Bixler said. “I’m not really positive yet, but I’m sure as I progress in this position next year I’ll be able to figure it out in my mind.”
As for the immediate future, Bixler is optimistic about her senior year and the progress that she’ll make with The Lamron.
“I plan on giving it my all and hopefully it all goes well.”