New Executive Board To Publish First Indy Today

The Harvard Independent’s recently-elected executive board published its first issue today after its members assumed their new titles last Friday.

New board members hinted that they would make only minor aesthetic and content changes to the College’s weekly newspaper.

Phoebe M. Lithgow ’04 will serve as president, Andrew T.B. Ujifusa ’04 as editor-in-chief, Rishikesh P. Dalal ’04 as publisher and Joseph L. Bracamontes ’04 as executive editor. Matthew J. Pollock ’04 will serve as director of business affairs.

According to Ujifusa, the Indy plans to improve its design “to make it more interesting for the reader.”

“Our main objective is not to report the news, but to touch on an interesting aspect of the news and to provide a forum for opinion,” Ujifusa said.

He said he hopes the Independent will spark discussion about the issues the paper reports.

“Since we are a weekly publication, most of our reporting should read less like that of a daily paper—straight reporting of the news—and more like that of a magazine—in depth and editorialized,” Ujifusa said.

Lithgow said she doesn’t believe any major changes need to occur during her tenure, and that she will focus on creating a friendlier environment for compers.

“Over the past year, we’ve come a long way in the transition from weekly newspaper to news magazine. I definitely want to continue that trend,” Lithgow said.

Unlike in previous years, this year’s executive board does not include a senior manager, the position responsible for organizing the comp. The comp will be run this year by the president and the publisher.

The application process for the executive board began last month, and new executives were elected on Oct. 19.

They officially assumed their positions last week.

Lithgow said that, as president, she is responsible for the main direction of the organization, including its business apparatus, alumni affairs, advertising and staff.

The editor-in-chief and executive editors oversee the general content of the paper and are responsible for making sure that the production runs smoothly, said Ujifusa.