Pictured Above: The Crow’s Nest staff poses for a photo in the office on their Valentine’s Day print production day.
Sophie Ojdanic | The Crow’s Nest
By Sophie Ojdanic and Annalise Anderson
Let’s be honest. It was a tough year.
The Crow’s Nest moved to almost entirely virtual practices, with in-person production days once per week to prepare a print issue. With increased online presence for every student, the paper found itself struggling to find sources and contributors. Three people quit the staff throughout the semester. I mean, Creative Director Darnell Henderson was quarantined not once, not twice, but three times. He didn’t even have COVID-19.
Nevertheless, The Crow’s Nest persisted.
As a student-run news publication, the staff worked day and night to provide the USF community with 2020-2021’s biggest stories:
** After a plethora of commencement moves and graduations, it was announced that the class of Spring 2021 would have an in-person commencement at Tropicana Field May 7 through 9.
** Perturbed at the way the USF administration and trustees have handled consolidation, Pinellas County legislators intervened to make sure the university’s branch campuses would be protected.
** As a solution to USF St. Petersburg’s declining enrollment, the university introduced Guaranteed Admission Pathways Program, a program that allows students at Title I schools guaranteed admission, as well as five new proposed academic clusters — Environmental and Oceanographic Sciences/Technology and Sustainability, STEM Education, Visual and Performing Arts, Business – Blue/Green Economy, and Health Sciences.
** Campus cornerstone Bill Heller died on Sept. 12, 2020, leaving behind a legacy of generosity.
** USF St. Petersburg senior Owen Melin was shot and killed in a home invasion six blocks from campus on May 27, 2020. Two weeks later, police arrested the alleged trigger man on murder charges. They are still searching for two accomplices.
** Another St. Petersburg student, Bryan Pennington, was killed in a single-car crash in Tampa on June 5, 2020.
** A third St. Petersburg student, freshman Thomas Helmy, was killed in a car accident in Hudson on Jan. 12.
** All six members of the College of Arts and Sciences Diversity Committee resigned in a scorching letter to administration. The committee addressed “hush culture” in the university’s administration.
** Nationwide protests following the killing of George Floyd reached St. Petersburg, with some students joining marches in the city.
**It was revealed Oct. 14, 2020 that USF’s College of Education would be closing. The university most recently backtracked on the closure, saying it would still be offering some undergraduate programs in education.
** St. Petersburg SG Lt. Gov. Isaiah Castle resigned March 18 after being placed on disciplinary probation in connection with a Title IX investigation.
**System-wide SG president and vice president candidates Gustavo Spangher and Yovela Debesay stepped down following multiple allegations of sexual misconduct and misogyny against Spangher.
** A sexual misconduct scandal exploded on the Tampa campus as more than 77 current and former female students took to Twitter to share stories of sexual violence. Many of the incidents involved fraternity members and what some victims called a weak response from campus officials.
** Joe Biden was elected the 46th President of the United States.
While stories weren’t always lighthearted reads, The Crow’s Nest staff managed to keep it together during long hours, tough interviews and demanding classwork every week.
And for those of you who may not know the staff who provided the news this past year:
Sophie Ojdanic, Editor-in-Chief
“We would literally all be dead if it wasn’t for Sophie Ojdanic,” Molly Ryan, op-ed and features editor, said. “Okay maybe not dead but this paper would likely be in shambles.”
Or as Ojdanic would say, it would be “booboo.”
An impressive feat, Ojdanic became editor-in-chief of The Crow’s Nest with no prior staff experience. She has collaborated, contributed to or worked on 113 stories ranging from staff pick movie reviews to USF’s convoluted administration to allegations of misconduct while balancing team management and Crow’s Nest administrative duties.
Trevor Martindale, Managing Editor
The Crow’s Nest’s resident wordsmith couldn’t function in the morning without his black coffee.
Trevor Martindale, this year’s managing editor, spent his time focusing on two major projects this year: multimedia outings and Green & Gold. Martindale worked behind the scenes on coordinating Crow’s Cast, as well as appeared as a host on multiple episodes.
His work includes Green & Gold research on cost of attendance, SG coverage and politics.
Darnell Henderson, Creative Director (The Real Boss)
The Creative Director — or Creative Dictator, as we’ve come to call him — spends the entirety of his Sunday putting together the newspaper. This ranges from designing pages to reevaluating space to selecting visuals and more.
Henderson’s flare for the creative has brought The Crow’s Nest to the next level in its graphics and print issue designs this year.
Aya Diab, Online Editor
Aya Diab is the unsung hero of The Crow’s Nest. Almost every web and social media post is Diab, cementing her standing as a pillar of the news cycle at USF St. Petersburg.
But her work doesn’t end there –– Diab did reporting on the changes to the College of Education as well as areas of student life like restaurants and ways to occupy your mind with something other than school.
Catherine Hicks, News Editor
As news editor, Catherine Hicks, kept the St. Petersburg campus up-to-date on some of the most pressing topics in university life.
Hicks’ coverage ranged from mental health services to foreign languages to the I Love St. Pete Facebook group. Hicks also worked on Green & Gold, covering financial aid, student wellness and more.
Annalise Anderson, Arts & Life Editor
Annalise Anderson devoted her time to telling local stories of businesses, people and programs finding their way through the unprecedented pandemic. Anderson also gave USF St. Petersburg a peek into the city’s famed museums, detailing exhibits from Van Gogh to an exhibit by black artist Derrick Adams called “Buoyant.”
And this isn’t the last you’ll see of her work; Anderson will serve as The Crow’s Nest’s Editor-in-Chief next fall.
Molly Ryan, Op-Ed & Features Editor
Molly Ryan’s voice has become a staple of The Crow’s Nest.
As the op-ed & features editor, Ryan has shared her thoughts on customer service, coffee, kratom and more while also sharing student stories, like that of an alumni who performed at the Super Bowl, or students who proudly exhibit their tattoos.
Make sure to watch out for more from Ryan in next year’s paper.
Baron Reichenbach, Multimedia Editor
As a late-coming Multimedia Editor, Baron Reichenbach took on a multitude of jobs, ranging from taking photos for stories to shooting video weekly and editing hours of podcast footage.
Reichenbach not only edits Crow’s Cast and Crow on the Go, but provides the paper with much needed breaks from life’s calamities by sharing stories of gardening and rubber hose cartoons.
Keep an eye out for more from Reichenbach next year.
Edyn Gottlieb, Staff Reporter
Hello, and welcome to Crow on the Go, your weekly roundup of the week’s –– kidding. I bet you read that in her voice though.
Edyn Gottlieb served as more than just the face of Crow on the Go, however. Gottlieb spent her weeks covering stories that affected the student body, ranging from the impacts of eating disorders to Bright Futures bill changes to exploring ways to stay positive during the pandemic.
Alyssa England, Ad Manager
Though it may not be published weekly for everyone to see, the ad manager works tirelessly to build bridges between The Crow’s Nest and local businesses.
What may not be evident in weekly print editions keeps the paper on its feet; and we’re always open to working with businesses and organizations on reserving ad space online and in the newspaper.
Alyssa England has sold ads to Charlie Justice, a USF alumnus running for the Pinellas Board of County Commissioners and St. Petersburg’s Spice & Tea Exchange. England also worked to provide the USF community with updates on spring break changes.
The Crow’s Nest would also like to thank Nancy McCann, Rob Hooker, Michael Alden and Patrick Tobin for their greatly valued assistance and contributions throughout the academic year.
Sophie Ojdanic | The Crow’s Nest
