Political science and business administration double major senior and Managing Editor of The Lamron Colin Beasor is passionate about showing leadership and discussed his role in the production of the newspaper.
As an assistant to the news section last year, Beasor took a big leap as he chose to run for the newspaper’s managing editor position; someone who helps manage the various sections of the newspaper and works alongside the editor-in-chief. He discussed his experience thus far via email.
“I wanted to advance myself in The Lamron staff, and upon hearing about the managing editor position opening up, I thought it would be a fantastic opportunity to take a leadership role in an organization that I thoroughly enjoy being a part of and to which I contribute,” Beasor said.
Given that Beasor was previously a news section assistant, he emphasized how what he learned under that role helps him in his current role, as he learned more about article formatting and grammar usage.
“With Covid-19 thwarting our plans to print and hold our traditional meetings, we have had to adjust accordingly and ensure that everybody, whether they are section heads or staff writers, feel safe while continuing to provide the school with its news,” Beasor said. “Working under Emma, the news editor, helped me develop skills that I use as the managing editor, such as having a better grasp on AP formatting and on the copy-editing process.”
Since the semester is about half-way done, Beasor reflected on the contributions he has made thus far, whether it be in terms of his contributions to the different sections or in his growth as a writer. He also added that in his role, he feels as though he has been a supportive shoulder to section heads if anyone is ever struggling.
“I have written articles for people whenever they need somebody to. This has gotten me to write more outside of my comfort zone ... I believe that one of the important things as the managing editor is to do this as well as allow for staff writers to contribute to their sections,” Beasor said. “I also think I have been able to be somebody who the section heads could reach out to discuss various problems and troubleshoot them with them. Collaboration is a very important aspect to teams and being able to effectively collaborate is something that takes precedence in my eyes.”
Two of the main challenges Beasor indicates experiencing this semester are time management between the newspaper and his academics, as well as the occurrence of COVID-19.
“The primary challenge this past semester has been managing the time and workload that the managing editor has to undertake along with balancing that with school. Moreover, as previously stated, I think COVID-19 has presented obstacles as well,” Beasor said. “I believe that not being able to communicate with everyone face-to-face has made it more difficult to collaborate in ways that we used to be able to, such as in the office and in meetings.”
Using the hobbies and interests he has, Beasor hopes to pursue politics and/or volunteerism after college.
“Ideally after college I would be able to work somewhere in politics, possibly volunteer somewhere and then perhaps obtain a law degree to become a lawyer,” Beasor said. “I have always been interested in both fields and one of my hobbies is reading court decisions, primarily U.S. Supreme Court decisions, because of the societal impact they can have. I want to become somebody who can spark change through the law.”
Beasor is appreciative of the students with whom he works on The Lamron with and is proud of the newspaper and its continued success.