The Quadrangle keeps students informed during COVID-19

The current COVID-19 crisis and the effect it’s had on New York City have certainly thrown a wrench in campus life. However, Manhattan’s student-run newspaper, The Quadrangle, has continued reporting on College current events, with all of its members working remotely. 

Gabriella DePinho ’21, editor-in-chief of The Quadrangle, has been the driving force all year for ensuring that the publication runs smoothly. Her role hasn’t changed.  

“Our normal cycle is that section editors send pitch emails out on Mondays and stories are due Friday at midnight,” she explains. “Tuesday meetings are a time to share more ideas, read through the paper, talk to your section editors and make plans as a group.

“That Monday email and Friday deadline system is still in place. We’re just skipping those Tuesday meetings,” she says. “However, we have a really great and involved staff, so even though we’re not meeting, people are still sharing ideas with section editors.”

Quadrangle staff members are actively sharing snippets of their daily life during quarantine on Instagram. 

“I figured our staff just sharing their perspective and talking about how they’re feeling would be a good way to stay involved during the transition and a good way to take advantage of our social media right now,” DePinho notes. “It’s the same thing as writing an op-ed piece, just on a different platform, really. The more we share our stories, the more we can remind everyone we’re still here and still writing about the community at large."

The Quad is committed to sharing news with the greater Manhattan College community and “doing journalism,” as their tagline notes. DePinho and her staff believe that the sudden change of scenery for all students and administrators should not stop the essential news process. 

“Since we already had a system in place that was sustainable without in-person meetings, this transition has been a bit more bearable,” she says. “We do still really miss our meetings though, because we’ve all become friends, and we genuinely enjoy spending that time together, but like everyone else, we’re staying in touch.”

Students and faculty can stay connected and read Quad articles via their website, mcquad.org. In addition to The Quadrangle, the HerCampus chapter at Manhattan College is continuing to deliver news remotely to their audiences. Read their latest stories here. 

By: Madison Smith ’21