By Faith Jarrell
Student Life Editor
The formerly defunct Washington College magazine made a comeback with a launch party on Wednesday, Nov. 8 at 4 p.m. in the lobby of the Eugene B. Casey Academic Center.
At the launch party, staff and faculty intermingled to talk about the magazine. Food and drinks were also available, courtesy of catering by WC and AVI. Visitor Services Manager for the Admissions Department Anna Kilea was also present at the event.
“I thought the reception was wonderful. All the catered food was really good. Marketing did a great job. It looked wonderful. They decorated beautifully. They had gift bags that included a reusable Starbucks cup and some K-Cups and tea bags as well as the magazine. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves overall,” Kilea said.
The fall 2023 issue, which was available throughout the lobby, pictures WC President Dr. Mike Sosulski with the tagline “Mike Sosulski brings a personal touch to stewarding the College.”
There are a plethora of stories in the magazine, including news stories, profiles of students, faculty, and alumni, pieces from the archives, and a poem by the Director of the Rose O’Neill Literary House and Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing, Dr. James Allen Hall.
The magazine stopped printing issues after the COVID-19 pandemic, which made it difficult to continue writing. According to managing editor Darrach Dolan, the last physical magazine “was published in the spring of 2020,” but he thought it was important to bring it back.
“The magazine’s purpose is simply to tell the stories of Washington College and be a vehicle for the Washington community to share what is going on in their lives or learn about what students, faculty, staff, and alumni are doing. The mission is to bring people together through storytelling rather than ‘selling’ something to readers,” Dolan said.
Kilea believes that the magazine is a good example of marketing tactics on campus.
“I think that the magazine is a more exciting way to present valuable information to prospective students, families, or alumni just to know what’s going on at the college. It’s a tangible thing they can have instead of having to go online and read,” Kilea said.
Photo by Faith Jarrell.
Photo caption: Faculty, staff, students, and Chestertown community members gathered in the Casey Academic Center to celebrate the launch of the WC Magazine