Silver linings, silver tidings

The problem with hiring good people, as Principal Bernard Shapiro once noted, is that they often have other options.

Marc Gilliam is a case in point. Hired last semester to replace Andrea Donida Doucet (herself a talented young woman who has gone on to bigger and better things) as our editorial clerk, Marc recently told us he was leaving the Reporter.

He found a full-time job that was more in line with his career aspirations -- doing writing and research for a multimedia project about Ernest Hemingway.

Lousy turncoat.

Seriously, we wish Marc well. He was diligent, thoughtful and a pleasure to work with (particularly when he'd supply us with donuts in his never-ending quest to prove that Tim Horton's reigns supreme in the world of deep-fried yummies).

The silver lining in all this is that we've again managed to find a pleasant, keen and bright individual in Marc's replacement, Leslie Stojsic.

A recent McGill graduate in history and the former features editor of The McGill Tribune (one of her Tribune stories is a finalist for a Canadian University Press Award), Leslie also worked for a spell at the Gap, so you know she'll do a great job of greeting you when you phone to find out about ad rates or events listings.

Funny how Marc and Leslie both used to work at the Tribune, considering how often that paper has taken shots at the Reporter.

Hmm. Leslie, you're fired (I'm kidding! I'm kidding!).

And speaking of silver, we received some good news recently. The Council for the Advancement and Support for Education, an organization comprised of university advancement professionals from across North America, announced their award winners for District 1 (covering Quebec, the Maritimes and the northeastern U.S.).

The McGill Reporter earned a silver medal in the category of "best tabloid," marking the third year in a row that we've won at least a silver in the competition.

Either we're fairly good at what we do or the judging is really lame. I'll leave that for you to decide.

Congratulations to designer Eric Smith, former editor Diana Grier Ayton and associate editor Bronwyn Chester, who all earned the prize along with me. Thanks go to our supportive colleagues in the University Relations Office and to our talented crew of freelancers.

Daniel McCabe