Opinion and Editorial Board Managing Editor Ellie Fivas (24Ox, 26C) and News Managing Editor Spencer Friedland (26C) were elected editors-in-chief of The Emory Wheel on Feb. 13.
Fivas and Friedland ran against Opinion Editor Safa Wahidi (23Ox, 26C) and Arts & Life Editor Catherine Goodman (26C), leading to the first contested editor-in-chief election since 2020. Out of 70 eligible voters, 78.6% cast votes. Fivas and Friedland received 39 votes, or 70.9% of the total votes cast. They will assume the editor-in-chief position on March 10.
This year’s race was a more complicated election than the Wheel has seen in previous years. Fivas and Friedland, despite having clear intentions to run, failed to officially declare their candidacy to the current editors-in-chief and the Wheel’s faculty adviser, Hank Klibanoff, via email before the Jan. 30 deadline.
However, the candidates decided to persist in their campaign. Fivas and Friedland proposed an amendment to the Wheel’s Constitution to allow for write-in candidates on the ballot. The Board of Editors voted to pass the amendment on Feb. 6.
Fivas and Friedland were the first write-in candidates to win the editor-in-chief position in the Wheel’s history.
“The fact they won as write-ins kind of shows how excited people were for them and how badly people wanted to vote for them,” outgoing Editor-in-Chief Sophia Peyser (25C) said. “Their supporters showed up for them, and they found a way to make it back on the ballot, even if it wasn’t the traditional way.”
Despite the unprecedented circumstances, Peyser said all the candidates were well-qualified, providing some relief throughout the process.
“It was a choice between two really good options,” Peyser said. “There was no way it was going to go poorly.”
Outgoing Editor-in-Chief Madi Olivier (25C) praised Friedland and Fivas as hardworking and organized editors.
“I’m very proud of Spencer and Ellie,” Olivier said. “They’re going to do great. Sophia and I have dedicated a lot of time to [the Wheel] and really love this organization, and I’m excited to see what they do with it.”
The Fivas-Friedland platform details an extensive list of both long- and short-term goals, such as exploring establishing the Wheel as an independent 501(c) nonprofit. According to the platform, this would not only help facilitate fundraising efforts but also legitimize the Wheel as furthering a collective, social benefit to the Emory University community.
When speaking about their platform, Friedland also emphasized wanting to expand the Wheel’s multimedia presence — something that Sports and Multimedia Managing Editor Madeline Shapiro (26C) is looking forward to.
“They have a lot of ideas on how to bring the Wheel into a more digital news age and utilize multimedia platforms a bit more,” Shapiro said. “I'm very excited to see how they use that to improve the Wheel.”
Fivas added that they are both looking forward to giving the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) task force “a more individualized seat at the table” during a time when these values are being called into question on a national level. The incoming editors-in-chief hope to assign the section its own managing editor.
Arts & Life and DEI Managing Editor Clément Lee (24Ox, 26B) expressed high hopes for a prevailing culture of both efficiency and inclusivity under the new editors-in-chief.
“My biggest expectation for Ellie and Spencer … is a nuanced approach to balancing both aspects of culture since it is important for, number one, retention, as well as, number two, just fostering an environment where everyone can be friends and everyone can get along together,” Lee said.
News Editor Lauren Yee (24Ox, 27C) said that the Fivas-Friedland platform was “very comprehensive” and had “achievable” goals for the Wheel.
“Spencer and Ellie are some of the most hardworking and dedicated people I know, and I think they’ll do an incredible job leading,” Yee said. “I’m excited to continue working with them.”
News Editor Jack Rutherford (27C) also voiced confidence in the incoming editors-in-chief.
“At the very most basic level, they’re both incredibly talented editors,” Rutherford said. “I’ve worked under Spencer. I know he has a particular eye for good editing. … I know that our paper will come out in good quality.”
Rutherford was also enthusiastic about the idea of distributing the newspaper throughout the Decatur, Ga., area, noting that this would mean a greater impact on the community beyond the University.
Editorial Board Editor Marc Goedemans (25C) said he believes Fivas and Friedland’s experience as managing editors of Opinion and News will “carry over really well” once they assume the position.
“I hope that they can build off the community that Sophia and Madi created and help contribute to and keep fostering connections between different sections and help onboard all the new editors in a way that continues that sense of community,” Goedemans said.
Friedland reflected on the “enormous” amount of time he and Fivas have spent in the newsroom, adding that he hopes they will make a marked improvement to the newspaper.
“That experience will really help us when facing decisions that we haven't faced before or making decisions for the first time as the final say,” Friedland said. “It can be frightening, but it's also part of the amazing experience that being a student journalist and being a student that’s editor in chief of an independent newspaper can provide.”
Fivas echoed this sentiment and further emphasized the necessity of student journalism for the benefit of history.
“When we look back and reflect on institutional histories like that of Emory, on local histories like that of Atlanta, The Emory Wheel is an asset to the community in that we are an independent student-run newspaper that is reporting stories that nobody else is,” Fivas said. “That’s really important and really special, and I hope that the legacy we leave is that we continue to promote that as one of our priorities, and we don't lose track of the bigger picture of why we're doing what we're doing.”
Kimble Schiller (she/her) (26Ox,28C) is from Houston, Texas and is majoring in economics and philosophy, politics and law. Outside of the Wheel, she can be found studying, hiking, writing for fun, or spending time with friends.
