Founded in 1916, this institution is the jumping-off point for many journalists throughout the nation, including yours truly.  Commonly known as the DE, this newspaper serves the campus of Southern Illinois University Carbondale as well as the Carbondale community.  I worked three semesters at the DE, rising from the low-man on the sports desk totem pole to become the Sports Editor in my final semester as a senior.

Since leaving the DE, I have moved on to become the Sports Editor at the Harrisburg Daily Register/Eldorado Daily Journal, which serves Saline County and the southeastern Illinois community.  Still, I read the DE on a daily basis via its Web site, and when I get my hands on it, the hard copy.

The DE lost several seniors to graduation after 2009, including its Editor-In-Chief, Campus Editor, Picture Editor, Voices Editor, Design Editor and Web Content Editor.  Upon turning a new leaf, the paper has not been the same.  Myself and a few others came to that conclusion, and you will meet those fine folks behind this revolution in just a moment.  One fall night, I suggested that if these go-getters wanted change that they needed to do it themselves.

And believe it or not, they listened to my advice.

Me & my roommate, the incoming DE Managing Editor

My roommate, Anthony Souffle, who will be the incoming Managing Editor in 2010.   Anthony was the Multimedia Editor my senior year and was my go-to-guy in regard to sports-related road trips.

The man has more internships than you can shake a stick at.  He’s worked at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Minnesota Star-Tribune and the Naples Daily News, among other places.  The kid’s a dynamo.  (I use the term “kid” loosely, he’ll be 25 later this month.)

Souffle will be entering his final semester of grad school starting in January and will balance that task with the one of being managing editor.  The guy knows good photography when he sees it, so much so he has taken me under his wing to the point where I will be the proud owner of my own camera by the beginning of 2010.

His focus will be getting the best art on the page.  I have no doubt he will do a fine job.

Part of me is saying that because he is my roommate.  But really, I say it because I mean it.  He knows what he is doing, and when he puts his mind behind something, chances are that he gets it done more often than not.  And that’s coming from personal experience.

Diana Soliwon will enter her second semester of her first year of grad school in a very familiar place.

The Daily Egyptian newsroom.

Diana Soliwon is the incoming EIC at the DE come January 2010.

Soliwon is a DE vet whose done a little bit of everything.  Check that, a lot of everything.  She’s worked on the campus and city desks and has been Voices Editor, Editor-In-Chief and Managing Editor, too.

In fact, I know I’m leaving other stuff out but at this point in the night, I’m just here for the intros.

Diana has dabbled in photography, multi-media and design.  Soliwon’s experience throughout the newsroom makes her the ideal candidate for EIC.

So, why am I doing this?  Because I am honestly intrigued by the idea of two of the paper’s alumni balancing their grad school work to go along with trying to restore a newspaper that was rated No. 1 in the country when I was a high schooler looking for a place to attend college.

This blogumentary (self-coined term, FTW) will detail life at the DE as I will get a first-hand look at what the future has in store for one of the cornerstones of the Carbondale campus.

If you want to join us for the ride, you can do so here.