It's not surprising that computer science major Chris LaRosa spends much of his day in front of a computer screen, but what you might not expect are what sit on his desk: an Associated Press Stylebook and a reporter's notebook.
As an editor at The Spectator, Hamilton's weekly student-run newspaper, Chris pursues his interest in media with a passion -- an experience he describes as both rewarding and exhausting:
"Covering the accomplishments of the Hamilton community is always fun. Students and faculty never stop making news, so sometimes 'the Spec' seems like a full-time job," he said. "We know the 24 hours before each 7 a.m. deadline will be filled with interviews, copy-edits, re-writes ... and no sleep."
As a junior, Chris served as editor-in-chief before spending the spring semester studying in Barcelona. Now, back on campus, he is the paper's senior editor, writing articles and helping to mentor new staff members.
"On many sticky issues, editorial decisions are not clear-cut. None of us on the staff has much formal journalism training, but we do have the reasoning and debate skills that come with a liberal arts education," Chris said. "That doesn't make for short editorial board meetings, but it does make for good journalism."
Last fall, Chris and four other Spectator editors enrolled in professor Catherine Kodat's "Public Policy Journalism" class, where they met with a series of guest journalists, including Barry Seaman '67, former special projects editor at Time magazine. "At a big journalism school, hundreds of students would be competing for that kind of resource," Chris said. "We had Barry working by our side for a week as we put the paper together."
When not canvassing campus for news stories or working on computer science projects, Chris makes time for a variety of campus activities that have included crew, Alternative Spring Break, the Jazz Ensemble, WHCL radio, and the Student Media Board.
"In college, I wanted to pursue my interests in technology and media ... and also find ways to get involved and make a difference," he said. "Hamilton has never let me down."
As an editor at The Spectator, Hamilton's weekly student-run newspaper, Chris pursues his interest in media with a passion -- an experience he describes as both rewarding and exhausting:
"Covering the accomplishments of the Hamilton community is always fun. Students and faculty never stop making news, so sometimes 'the Spec' seems like a full-time job," he said. "We know the 24 hours before each 7 a.m. deadline will be filled with interviews, copy-edits, re-writes ... and no sleep."
As a junior, Chris served as editor-in-chief before spending the spring semester studying in Barcelona. Now, back on campus, he is the paper's senior editor, writing articles and helping to mentor new staff members.
"On many sticky issues, editorial decisions are not clear-cut. None of us on the staff has much formal journalism training, but we do have the reasoning and debate skills that come with a liberal arts education," Chris said. "That doesn't make for short editorial board meetings, but it does make for good journalism."
Last fall, Chris and four other Spectator editors enrolled in professor Catherine Kodat's "Public Policy Journalism" class, where they met with a series of guest journalists, including Barry Seaman '67, former special projects editor at Time magazine. "At a big journalism school, hundreds of students would be competing for that kind of resource," Chris said. "We had Barry working by our side for a week as we put the paper together."
When not canvassing campus for news stories or working on computer science projects, Chris makes time for a variety of campus activities that have included crew, Alternative Spring Break, the Jazz Ensemble, WHCL radio, and the Student Media Board.
"In college, I wanted to pursue my interests in technology and media ... and also find ways to get involved and make a difference," he said. "Hamilton has never let me down."
