Daily Week: Meet the Managing Board

Editor’s note: The Daily’s editorial board acknowledges that this article is premised on a conflict of interest. This article is a special feature for Daily Week that does not represent the Daily’s standard journalistic practices. 

These interviews have been edited for clarity and length.

The Daily has been in production since 1980. From writing content and conducting interviews, to copyediting articles and laying out the paper, everything but printing and distributing the paper is done in-house. The Daily’s Managing Board, a collection of experienced Daily members that rotates every semester, oversees this process. This semester’s Managing Board consists of Editor-in-Chief Elie Levine, Managing Editors David Levitsky and Anita Ramaswamy, Associate Editor Luke Allocco and Production Director Daniel Montoya. Levine and Levitsky are juniors, Ramaswamy is a senior and Allocco and Montoya are sophomores.

The Tufts Daily (TD): Many readers might not know what the Managing Board at the Daily is or what they do. How would you describe it?

Elie Levine (EL): [Managing Board] is made up of the people who oversee the general operations of the Tufts Daily. We’ll be the final set of editorial eyes on an article before it goes into copyediting; we’ll look at every photo as well as oversee the layout process. Beyond production, we also oversee the social operations of the paper, human resources in general and plan events to promote the Daily on campus.

David Levitsky (DL): [Managing Board] is the glue of the Tufts Daily that puts all the moving parts together. The individual writers, content execs and production execs do a lot of the work, but we’re the final piece that makes sure that everything is up to quality. We’re the people that tie in the great work that other people do.

Anita Ramaswamy (AR): Managing Board is basically the group of people making all the everyday decisions when it comes to the Daily. We don’t do the reporting but we edit and oversee our staff and we deal with anything they need help with. We also fact-check everything and layout the paper.

Luke Allocco (LA): [Managing Board] is the group of people that oversees the day-to-day operations of the Daily. We fact-check articles, we make sure we have enough content to run for the next day of production, we have some really cool bondings and we’re in charge of creating a positive and welcoming community for the Daily.

Daniel Montoya (DM): [Managing Board], to me, is the leadership of the Daily, but it also feels like so much more. We ensure that this ship doesn't sink.

TD: What was your involvement with the Daily before you became a member of Managing Board and why did you decide to join? What is the Managing Board community like?

EL: The [summer before] my [first] year, I sent the Daily Facebook page a message so I knew I wanted to do this before I even came to Tufts. I started as a News and Features writer, then was Assistant Editor and Editor for both sections, then became executive news editor, then I became editor-in-chief. We try to balance professional and personal relationships. I always have on my mind what professional behavior is like but I also want to [create] a welcoming space. As a [Managing Board] member, I feel lucky. Our skills are all very different.

DL: I was a copyeditor and copy exec before. When I was a copy exec, I wasn’t planning on [applying], but I just got really close to the people in the office and I got to know the people in sections that I wasn’t in. I thought it’d be really cool to work with them. I had a good understanding of the paper as a production guy and I thought I’d be able to do a good job of it.

AR: It was a really last minute decision but I’ve always really loved the Daily and I’ve always been interested in the [managing board] position. Since it was my senior spring, I figured why not? It’s been a really good learning experience so far.

LA: I was copyeditor and copy exec. [The community] is supportive. We work together to make sure that we’re putting out the best newspaper [that we can].

DM: I was a layout editor for [first-year] fall and spring, then layout executive and then production director. Maybe I'll try photo next or write a column. I chose to join [Managing Board] because it was an opportunity for growth and a welcomed challenge. I was apprehensive [about joining Managing Board] at first in all honesty, because I knew David and Luke from last semester, but didn't know Elie and Anita and wasn't too sure if we would work well, let alone be friends. But after the kinks were worked out, it's led to a really positive environment where we're all friends and really support each other.

TD: What makes the Daily special to you?

EL: It’s always confusing to people who know me in other capacities because they ask why I spend so much time on it [the Daily]. It’s hard to explain. It’s important to me because the Daily is the most ... self-sufficient organization I’ve ever even heard of on this campus. It really holds its own in a world where print is dying. At the Daily, print and copy are not dead and people care so much about journalism. It’s very uplifting and inspiring. And I hope it’s as uplifting and inspiring to every new writer who is involved in the Daily.

DL: I like that there are just so many different kinds of people. There are so many people I would not have met otherwise. People from different classes, views, backgrounds.

AR: What makes the Daily most special is the fact that we’re independent from the school. We don’t get any money from the school and we can be totally unbiased in our reporting. We’re always looking to improve and we’re always looking for feedback.

LA: The people. I’ve met a lot of really wonderful, caring, amazing people in my time here and I’m really grateful for those relationship opportunities I’ve had.

DM: The Daily is special to me because I've honestly spent so much time within the organization and it's a place where I've met pretty incredible people. Plus the free food is a great thing to have.

TD: What is the weirdest or most fun thing you’ve done at the Daily office?

EL: [During] the Hunt, fall of [my first] year, we were tasked with making a music video to "Just a Friend" by Biz Markie with Ancho the printer. It was a really weird video.

DL: Every night of production because I get to work with copy every day.

AR: Watching the Super Bowl in the office while editing articles.

LA: The Halloween issue was really fun, especially writing the horoscope article. The office vibe and atmosphere was really fun that night.

DM: I think every night I spend at the office is weird and unique in one way. No two nights are alike.

TD: What is your favorite space or part of the Daily office?

EL: The foyer-type front room. We treat it as if it’s airtight so we have more intense investigative discussions in there. It feels like it has a different character than the other rooms we spend most of our time in. If we really have some serious stuff to talk about, we’ll go there. It’s where I’ve been tested most as a Tufts Daily reporter and person.

DL: My favorite is the layout room because it’s where the magic happens.

AR: I really like all the old issues on the walls, especially the April Fools’ issues.

LA: [My favorite is the] layout room. I spend a lot of time hanging out there so it’s fun for me.

DM: The main computer is my literal second home. I spend about 20 or so hours there a week and we've formed a special bond over the years. The layout room is also my special space and it creates some separation from the others in a good way.

TD: If you could be one kind of cereal, what would you be?

EL: Frosted Flakes. Because [it is] standard fare, everyone knows about it, but [it is] unique enough to be memorable.

DL: There’s a cereal from Trader Joe’s called Bran Flakes. Low-key but tasty, heart-healthy and good for your gut.

AR: I’d be Cap'n Crunch. A BuzzFeed quiz told me that I was the "alpha of my friend group" and that "I don’t get soggy under pressure."

LA: Oreo O’s, because I eat them on the daily. It’s really unhealthy and I’ll probably die at a young age but it’s worth it.

DM: Cocoa Puffs. Sweet but not too sweet. Makes everyone's day a little better, I hope. Brown.