Gillian English, ’19 Professional Writer, Journalism Advocate

Gillian English, ’19 // Professional Writing worked hard with Champlain’s Center for Publishing to relaunch The Crossover, the student newspaper that was first started a few years ago to report on campus news and happenings.

Why was it important to you to begin working on The Crossover?

“I wanted to bring back The Crossover because I saw a need for it at Champlain. I wrote a proposal for my Technical Writing class, and the survey I took showed a huge response from people wanting to know more about what was going on around campus.

Additionally, The Crossover allows for more transparency between the staff and student body. A student newspaper was something I had hoped for when I came to Champlain, since I wanted experience in journalism. I’m hopeful that future students interested in writing will have the chance to get that experience, whether it’s to find out that they like it or to find out that they don’t.”

The Crossover publishes articles on a rolling schedule, including features, news stories, and cultural and editorial pieces. There is a lot of work involved in relaunching a publication, and there were challenges that arose as a result. We asked English how she found a way to work with even the hardest of challenges.

“The biggest challenge has been becoming established. In New England (and Vermont) it takes a long time for something to become part of the culture. Champlain is similar in the way that it takes time for something to become integrated into campus culture. I know it will take time for The Crossover to become known as a credible campus publication, but the only way to do that is to consistently deliver good content and share it with people.”

What has been the most rewarding part of working on The Crossover?

“The most rewarding aspect of working on The Crossover has been to see how far we’ve come. We started with a blank website and a handful of ideas, and we were able to build everything up from there. Whether it was the sections we wanted, the publication manual, or the editing process, everyone worked so hard to establish these things and bring them to fruition. The team of people who made this happen are incredible and it was amazing to know that I wasn’t in it alone. When we finally published the website, we did it together. Now, we publish on a rolling basis and the website naturally refreshes itself every month. I’m really proud of all the work everyone has put in to make this happen and I know I couldn’t have done it alone.”

English is now an Audience Engagement Specialist at Seven Days newspaper in Burlington, Vermont.

You can read articles published by The Crossover on the newspaper’s website. Email champlaincrossover@gmail.com if you’re interested in getting involved!