Meet the Etownian’s newest Copy Editor, Mahli Rupp! Rupp is a fourth-year professional writing major with minors in creative writing and Japanese. Editor-In-Chief Chandler McGuire initially reached out to Rupp last semester about the open position to see if she would be interested in joining the Etownian family. She and McGuire sat down, hammered out the details and now she edits every single article that goes into the paper! She works alongside McGuire, and Managing Editor, DaniRae Renno.
“I hesitated initially because I had a lot of other commitments at the time, but I’m glad I took it,” Rupp said.
As the Copy Editor, Rupp must go through every article and make edits based on grammar, punctuation and AP style. AP style, also known as The Associated Press Stylebook, is a grammatical style guide for journalists and is most commonly used in newspapers, magazines and other media outlets. It was originally created by American journalists working for or connected with the Associated Press journalism cooperative. Rupp is responsible for making sure all articles going into the weekly paper are consistent with this style and don’t have any mistakes in the final product.
“[AP style] can be a bit tricky at first, but you can always check yourself with AP style books or online. Once you do it a couple of times it becomes more natural. The only thing I really hate is that it requires you to not use the Oxford comma. The Oxford comma is important,” Rupp said.
Depending on when articles are submitted, Rupp works throughout the week. Most articles are submitted by Sunday, so she does a lot of editing on Mondays but will occasionally find herself editing on Wednesdays as well.
Sometimes this inconsistent schedule can be frustrating, as Rupp enjoys having a specific routine.
“It can be frustrating to think you’ve checked something off your to-do list and then realize you actually have to uncheck it, but I also understand that we’re all college students and turning stuff in on time is hard. So I do get it and try not to be too upset about it!” Rupp said.
Despite this, Rupp still really enjoys her new position as the Copy Editor.
“It sounds boring to a lot of people, but I enjoy editing. It’s something I’m considering going into after I graduate,” Rupp said.
Rupp isn’t exactly sure what she plans on doing after graduating in May, but she is interested in the editing and publishing industries.
“While I’m probably not doing journalism, the Etownian experience is helping me keep my editing skills sharp!” Rupp said.
To anyone thinking about joining the Etownian, our newest member encourages you to take the leap! Rupp may have been hesitant at first, but she believes it was worth it to try it out and do something to hone her skills.
“If you want to, definitely reach out about it! The team is cool, and it’s a really good opportunity for writers and editors to work on their skills in news media,” Rupp said.
In addition to her new position at the Etownian, Rupp also works at the Learning Zone as a Writing Tutor to help fellow students with essays and other writing assignments and as a Student Coordinator at the front desk.
