Publications go color

Both the Weather Vane and the Phoenix, EMU's student publications, will be reborn in color this coming semester.

For the Weather Vane, this decision came out of discussions related to its prioritization ranking and a corresponding survey. The Weather Vane this coming spring will have four full color pages, including front and back. In order to make this change, the publication will move to a different printer and reduce the number of issues. Since x-high graphic arts, the Weather Vane's traditional printer, does not have the capabilities for full color, Faculty Advisor Richard Benner has worked out a deal with the Northern Virginia Daily in Strasburg, Va. Heather Nyce (who will be continuing next semester as co-editor-in-chief with Michael Miller) and Ellie Spaulding (who will be continuing as photography editor next semester) went Monday to meet with the printers.

With nine issues instead of the usual 12 per semester, the Weather Vane will come out the second week of school and finish printing a week earlier than usual. The new arrangement will cost only $925 more than the current printing schedule, a difference Benner hopes to make up with increased advertising revenue. Editors are currently looking for a motivated ad sales person.

Benner hopes this change will improve perception of the Weather Vane's quality among students and faculty and attract more participation in staff. "We live in a color world," he said. The change may also inspire other innovations, including a back page photo contest and color comic strips.

The Phoenix, EMU's yearly creative publication, will also be printing full-color sections this year under new advisor Andrew Harvey. According to Harvey, last year's Phoenix ran into problems when pages were submitted under the wrong format. Mike Reno at EMU Printing Services would have had to reformat and layout the pages, but the project was postponed for various reasons. Reno made 100 photocopies of pages for Homecoming Weekend, but did not charge the Phoenix account for them.

Rather than printing the 400 intended copies of the 2005 issue, the $500 will be returned and go toward adding color this year. Submissions will be accepted between now and March 17, and student editors will select the best quality work for publication. For more information, contact Andrew Harvey.