No matter what building you go to at Ursinus, you will likely find a few copies of The Grizzly lying around. Whether it serves you as casual reading material or a source for all your Ursinus-related information, The Grizzly has been a mainstay in the Ursinus community in its current iteration since 1978. In the past forty-five years, countless members have taken up the roles within the newspaper to make it successful. Of the many, only a few have ascended to the most essential position: Editor-In-Chief. That is the exact position Kate Horan finds herself in.
Horan, a senior English major and MCS minor, has been with The Grizzly since her Sophomore year and has worn many hats: writer, Opinions Editor, Features Editor, and now Editor-In-Chief. Her role includes managing every step of The Grizzly, from pitching ideas to print release. “The job has a lot of moving parts,” Horan stated. “It starts with pitch meetings, in which writers and editors present ideas for new articles and are assigned to write. I organize and run these meetings, prompting brainstorming of events and providing my ideas.”
After pitch meetings, which are held on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. in Ritter 141, comes the part of writing for a newspaper that is most expected: writing. After submitting the articles, the section editors edit them before Horan and Dr. Doron Taussig, The Grizzly’s faculty advisor, approve and suggest their edits. As the most crucial stage of The Grizzly publication process, it is one of the most stressful for Horan. “One of the most common stressors is working with deadlines for articles,” Horan admitted. “To use articles in Layout, articles must be turned in and must be edited and prepped for print. This timing is not always consistent, so each week is a new situation to adapt to.”
Despite working as an editor for three years, one of the most challenging aspects of the job for Horan remains the weekly fight with Adobe InDesign, the software used to format the newspaper during layout meetings. “Adobe InDesign can sometimes be an enemy to section editors and myself,” Horan explained. “It is not an easy program to use and takes practice. I’ve worked with the program for 2.5 years and still struggle with it sometimes.” Through the struggles of working with InDesign, Horan and the other Grizzly editors make the best of it. During one layout meeting, the staff laughed about their experience with a haunted house and posed different captions of a photo between Features Editor Caitlin Cunnane ‘27 and News Editor Renee Washart ‘26. On Thursdays, the printed copies are distributed.
Between the communication lines that need to be managed and the formatting that needs to be completed, the Editor-In-Chief position causes quite a bit of stress; this is true for Horan, who holds three other on-campus jobs and an internship with a publishing company. Horan still manages to keep her head held high, however. “I have had a lot of practice balancing various responsibilities,” she said, “while I can try to say that it becomes simpler with time, it doesn’t. It takes a lot of dedication and motivation, but those come naturally to me when I do things that I love. I don’t consider my jobs only to be ‘work.’ I set myself up in positions where I am doing things that I enjoy. I don’t know if I could successfully balance everything if I didn’t love what I do.”
Her efforts do not go unappreciated. Photo Editor Georgia Gardner ‘25 loves working under Horan. “Working under Kate is amazing,” Gardner praised. “She is a great leader with natural talent that makes The Grizzly what it is today. She is kind and generous and brings out the best in everyone involved with The Grizzly. It is a pleasure to not only work for her but even just to know her!”
In her last year at Ursinus, Horan has a last wish for her time with The Grizzly. “I want more students to participate in this student-led newspaper,” Horan stated. “Every Editor-In-Chief will run the newspaper differently, adding their touch, but I think that one thing that should continue is the effort to get more students involved. While I love writing articles often, I want to hear more student perspectives and voices.” She encourages students to get excited about potential topics in The Grizzly and not to let inexperience deter anyone from joining the staff. “If you aren’t experienced with writing articles, that is not a problem,” she explained. “That should not stop you from participating, and editors are here to ensure that writers are supported.”
Although the school year still has a ways to go, talks of Horan’s successor have already begun. “There is still much to be seen in this semester and next semester,” she said. “No decisions have been made.” Horan is certain about one thing: “I know this person must be very dedicated and passionate about The Grizzly.”