For many students, going to college opens the floodgates to a vast ocean of opportunity. The chance to try new and exciting things and to start down the long path of deciding who you want to be. There are many such opportunities to be found in student organizations at Drexel University, but few are as varied and rich in experience as The Triangle, Drexel’s only independent student-run newspaper.
The Triangle is the perfect outlet for any and every student interested in journalism — be it through writing, editing or podcasting. We publish stories in News, Sports, Opinion, Comics and Arts & Entertainment. Articles and podcasts are written on topics ranging from local politics, campus life and events, food and culture and everything in between! We also welcome students passionate about photography and graphic design, who are a core part of our publication of print newspapers, as well as students interested in IT —without whom we wouldn’t exist digitally!
Along with a place for every interest, joining a student newspaper creates many more opportunities. It gives you a network not only with the Triangle staff and campus life, but also to other reporters and to faculty. And any Drexel student knows that building up work experience is important, especially at a co-op university; being involved with a publication is also an effective way to publically showcase your skills.
Some of our staff members weighed on their experiences with joining the Triangle.
Sanju Ramanathan, Co-Chief Copy Editor for the Triangle, joined the winter term of her freshman year out of her passion for journalism and editing.
“Although I love to write, I believed editing work would improve my technical writing skills and my eye for grammar — which it did!” Ramanathan said. “I originally planned to start as a copy editor and then move into a writer position when I had more time, but I ended up enjoying copy editing far more than I expected. I really think learning AP Style and general editing skills can improve any writer’s abilities, which is incredibly useful no matter what your career goals are.”
The Triangle’s Business Manager, Utkarsh Panchal, said, “The Triangle offered me a place to express my interests and opinions for the entire student body to see. The Triangle gives me real world experience in managing a small business, which is something that is usually lacking from the co-op experience at Drexel.”
Medha Gupta, a News writer, joined the Triangle her first term at Drexel, and it was a great way for her to connect with students outside of her major and make friends.
“As a news writer, I am eager to explore the different events happening around Drexel and Philadelphia to report on. I have interviewed activists from Chile about the public transportation price raise while also talking to student-researchers at Drexel Waste Conference. Meeting new people and gaining new insights because of the Triangle has made it a pivotal part of my college experience,” Gupta said.
Opinion writer Aru Nittur joined the fall of her freshman year. “Joining the Triangle gave me a great way to explore interests outside of my major. Writing has been a personal passion of mine and as a member of the Triangle, I can really cultivate those skills. I joined the Opinion section in my fall term of freshman year and it’s been an amazing experience. It’s such a great group of people and such a fantastic way to get involved with campus!”
Lena Fine, Assistant Comics Editor, also joined the paper during the fall term of her freshman year while looking for like-minded journalists. “ I joined the Arts and Entertainment section and ended up finding a group of people I love! It’s a wonderful community of different people, and I’ve grown grateful and happy to call it a home of sorts on campus.”
Ioana Racu, news writer for the Triangle, joined in the beginning of her sophomore year because she loved writing and investigating stories. She thought doing it for her own community would be fun and enjoyable. “I think the Triangle is a team full of creative and intelligent people from all majors from Drexel. I like how everybody has a different perspective and brings in different knowledge to the table. I think people should consider joining the Triangle because it’s always active and you always have something to contribute even if you don’t realize it.”
Will Marani, one of our Co-Chief Copy Editors for The Triangle, joined the fall term of his sophomore year.
“Despite being on the journalism track of my communication major since freshman year, I waited until fall of my sophomore year to join,” Marani said. “I was worried about whether I would be able to balance it with school, but it’s been a really amazing experience, and I wish I had joined sooner. I’ve met a lot of amazing and talented people; copy-editing has helped me improve my writing and I’ve had the flexibility to write a few articles as well!”
For Mikayla Butz-Weidner, The Triangle was the first club she joined in the fall term of her freshman year in 2018. “I was interested because I enjoy writing, but I applied for the Copy Editing team, thinking it was my best shot in. Learning to copy edit for the newspaper gave me a new way to hone my skills, and it equipped me to move onto larger editor positions, to Chief Copy Editor, to Managing Editor, to what I am today, Editor-in-Chief.”
“The Triangle is a great place to explore an interest in writing and the media, but it’s also a whole community on campus to meet new friends,” Butz-Weidner said. “We work together in our various sections, from news to copy to IT to comics, and when all the work is done, we keep hanging out, whether it be casually after meetings or at one of our staff dinners or parties each term.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Triangle has only been able to publish one physical edition in the past year and a half at time of writing. However, with the return of in-person classes and campus life fast approaching, now is the perfect time for both incoming and returning students to get involved. Our organization gives students the opportunity to dip their toe in the world of journalism directly and indirectly: writing and editing articles as well as taking photographs and designing graphics — publishing work in a newspaper that they can then add to their portfolios and resumes.
If you’re interested in joining the Triangle, you can find out more information here. Applications will be open in the fall, making now the perfect time to read over our forms and prepare any material you would like to submit!