The Clarion is your home for news, features, opinions, reviews, and sports at Bethel University. The Clarion is produced entirely by students for the Bethel Community and does not reflect the views of the institution.
STAFF
Editor-in-Chief: Maddie DeBilzan, 21, is a journalism major who loves listening to Ben Rector’s music, reading a book with a cup of coffee, and writing stories that matter. She has four young siblings who pelt her with Nerf guns whenever she visits home in White Bear Lake. If she’s not in the Clarion office, she is probably either at a coffee shop drinking a latte with skim milk and half a shot of vanilla, out for a jog, or spending time with her closest friends. Her dream job is to write for a newspaper that allows her to write enterprise stories that spark change in a community.
m-debilzan@bethel.edu | 651- 226-2981
Managing Editor: Maddie Christy, 20, is the managing editor of The Clarion. She is a junior journalism and missional ministries double major. She is from Iowa, but knew nothing about farming until she interned at ECHO this past summer and learned about hundreds of varieties of mangos, how to harvest bamboo, and the most effective way to mulch. The books on Maddie’s nightstand waiting to be read are Love Does, When Helping Hurts, and One Thousand Wells. If you can’t find her she is most likely at a coffee shop, busy updating her g-cal and to-do lists, or researching missions internships in Africa. She hopes to write for a Christian non-profit or work in the mission field.
m-christy@bethel.edu | 712-540-7566
Graphic Design Editor: Sierra Smith, 20, is the graphic design editor this year. She is a junior graphic design major and journalism minor. She plays soccer as a defender for Bethel University and spends a lot of her time there. She’s also a food and coffee connoisseur in her free time and loves to spend time with her friends as well as watching the show Friends on Netflix. Sierra also loves photography, traveling, Minneapolis, and spending time outside in nature. She pursued this position to help challenge her in her experiences and skills in design and organization. In the future she hopes to work in branding and advertising to help dream up visions for companies and how they interact with the world.
sierra-smith@bethel.edu | 651-226-7717
Visual Reporting Editor: Bri Shaw, 21, visual reporting editor The Clarion. She’s a senior journalism major and works as a video production assistant for the Office of Marketing at Bethel. She’s passionate about telling stories in a visual way and hopes to use her skills as a video editor and designer for The Clarion. You’ll most likely find her jamming out to Taylor Swift’s “Reputation” album, drinking way too much coffee or planning her wedding for 2019. Her go-to news source is Kare 11 or Fox News.
brs72464@bethel.edu | 612-741-8288
News Editor: Jasmine Johnson, 19, is the news editor of The Clarion. As a sophomore journalism major and graphic design minor, Johnson loves exploring how these two fields intersect and complement each other. She is most passionate about investing in the lives of others and telling their stories. Her closet is full of flannels and her friend once challenged her to wear them for an entire month, which she did. She also loves dancing, coloring and organizing anything in sight. Her dream job would be to travel the world while writing for a nonprofit.
jasmine-johnson@bethel.edu | 320-761-2892
Sports Editor: Jared Martinson, 21, is the sports editor for The Clarion. He is a junior journalism major. He is hoping to tell significant stories about athletes that have nothing to do with sports. Jared is an avid follower of athletics, particularly the NBA, and desires to become a columnist or sportswriter while dabbling in broadcasting. You can find him playing guitar on a Vespers team at Bethel, podcasting or inserting obscure Star Wars quotes into everyday conversation. His favorite news source is The Ringer.
jnm73856@bethel.edu | 763-478-7094
Features Editor: Tatiana Lee, 21, is a journalism major who aspires to change people’s lives through stories. She aims to show rather than tell in any news story. If she isn’t working on schoolwork, you can find her running, reading or writing poetry. You won’t find her sitting around, if she doesn’t answer her phone, it’s because she probably is busy with some other activity. Her first language wasn’t English, it was Russian. She is fascinated by words. So she writes.
tal38929@bethel.edu | 651-955-6908
Senior News Reporter: Emma is a freshman at Bethel this year and she is double majoring in English literature and writing and journalism. She is excited to help with news reporting and producing a podcast for the Clarion. Emma is passionate about the stories of others and dreams of one day getting to travel, speak French and write a book. She’s always down for a simple cup of black coffee and a good conversation. Her go to news source is The New York Times.
e-melling@bethel.edu | 952-215-2709
Senior Sports Editor: Sam Johnson, 20, is the senior sports reporter for The Clarion. He is a sophomore journalism major, hoping to tell important and meaningful stories to the Bethel community through the power of words on a page. Sam is a passionate sports fan, especially the NBA (his favorite team being the Los Angeles Lakers). He hopes to one day become a sportswriter or beat reporter for one of his favorite teams, or possibly get involved with broadcasting. Along with sports, Sam loves to travel, be in nature as often as possible and binge Lost and 24 on DVD. His go-to news sources are ESPN and Fox News.
saj34223@bethel.edu | 612-759-0805
Senior Features Reporter: Molly Korzenowski, 19, holds the position of senior features reporter for The Clarion. She is a sophomore journalism and graphic design major who dreams to tell the stories of unheard voices through art and writing. She can be spotted watching Netflix while sketching portraits, sipping cold brew by a lake, or jogging in the wellness center. Her go-to news source is The New York Times.
mak99928@bethel.edu | 715-222-7353
Assistant Video Editor: Ally O’Neil, 19, is the assistant video editor for The Clarion. She is a sophomore Journalism major. She is passionate about listening to people’s stories and telling them in a creative way through video. She hopes to have a job that involves producing videos for any sort of company or non-profit organization.
ally-oneil@bethel.edu | 612-817-9288
Sports Visual Reporter: Carlo Holmberg, the sports visual reporter, is a senior journalism student with a minor in graphic design. He is passionate about storytelling. Carlo is willing to do anything for a story he believes in. In his spare time he enjoys going to concerts and taking pictures(so much so that he literally wrote this while he was at a concert). He is a big fan of Relevant magazine.
cah63458@bethel.edu | 763-688-3569
Features Visual Reporter: Katie Viesselman, 19, is the features visual reporter for The Clarion. She is a graphics design major and photojournalism minor and is passionate about using photography to tell the stories of others. A perfect day for Katie consists of coffee, spending time with her favorite people, a beautiful day, and more coffee. In the future, Katie hopes to use her experience with photography and design to inspire people and make their voices heard.
kav28255@bethel.edu | 763-447-0333
News Visual Reporter: Mara Hayes, 20, is the news visual reporter for The Clarion. She is majoring in science education 5-8. In Mara’s spare time she enjoys taking yoga classes, attending sporting events, shooting photos, enjoying the outdoors, and being with her sisters. Mara’s favorite news source is Kare11.
mah86695@bethel.edu | 952-917-9296
Assistant Designer: Mary Hitt, 20, is a designer for The Clarion. She is a junior graphic design major and history minor. She loves design because she can turn a blank page into an appealing design. In the future she hopes to work as a designer for a non-profit organization. In her free time she loves to watch The Office, Friends, and Parks and Rec. Every week Mary consumes gallons of coffee. Her favorite accounts to follow on Instagram are Brandon Eckroth, the official meme page of Bethel and Dear Hyssop.
mah55644@bethel.edu | 605-496-2266
Business Manager: Matt Lemay, 20, is the business manager of The Clarion. A junior this year, Lemay plans on bringing an advanced business approach to the Clarion in hopes of creating a new connection between business and journalism. He’s most passionate about generating the needed revenue to help bring new equipment and resources to the Clarion staff, along with expanding on the Clarion’s connections among local businesses. In his spare time, he enjoys playing intramural basketball, fishing and watching documentaries. His go-to news source is the Wall Street Journal.
mal96339@bethel.edu | 651-398-0710
Social Media Manager: Lindsey Micucci is a senior studying communication and creative writing. Her current dream job is to work at NPR Tiny Desk and to own a pug. In addition to carrying three journals in her bag at all times, she enjoys editing photos, ordering contemporary poetry books through ILL (Interlibrary Loan), her share of cult films and DJing at Macalester’s radio station. Things she loves include Vienna, sitting in Purple Onion and the moment before walking into her parent’s house. She recommends reading The Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan before graduating from college. Her go-to source for most things is the New Yorker.
lim99233@bethel.edu | 847-421-7508
Copy Editor: Diana Clark, 20, is the copy editor of The Clarion. Diana is a junior English education and English literature double major. Diana works to strengthen articles for The Clarion by correcting grammatical and structural errors (and sneaking in any oxford comma wherever she can before the Maddies find out). In her free time, you can find Diana watching any show with Gordon Ramsay in it, despite her lack of cooking skills. Her favorite news source is The New Yorker.
diana-clark@bethel.edu | 515-867-4899
Columnist: Samuel Krueger, 21, is a columnist for The Clarion. Krueger is a senior political science major who wants to bring a conservative voice to The Clarion. Krueger loves to push the issues that people are afraid to talk about. He enjoys writing serious political and provocative commentary as well as satire. In his spare time he likes to fish, hike, and drool over classic cars. His go-to news sources are The Wall Street Journal and The National Review.
sek46887@bethel.edu | 651-262-3175
Columnist: Jamie Hudalla, 21, is a columnist for The Clarion. She’s a senior English literature and writing major with minors in graphic design and psychology. She hopes to write honestly about topics that matter, and not bore people with 2000-word columns. She’s passionate about social justice, fiction-writing, traveling and blues music. You’ll likely find her wolfing down a PB and J burger, watching a mafia documentary or angering the general populace as she attempts to drive. Her go-to news source is BBC News.
jamie-hudalla@bethel.edu | 715-410-4560
Adviser: Scott Winter, journalism professor and Clarion adviser.
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Excellent Job Clarion Staff. Congratulations on the first place award. You are making the journalism department at Bethel shine. Keep up the good work. President Jay Barnes sent us a thank you letter and commented ” the program is amazing”.
Gene and Kathy Johnson