From the Editor: Center Field Becomes a Chartered Marist Club

Editor’s Note: This is an op-ed written by Editor-in-Chief Luke Sassa; any thoughts or opinions expressed are his own.

After over six years of the publication’s existence, Center Field officially became a chartered student club at Marist College.

Wait, Center Field wasn’t already an official club at Marist?

Nope, at least not in an official capacity. 

Despite its status as a growing student-run organization, Center Field did not succeed during a previous attempt to secure a club charter in 2023.

While Center Field has faced obstacles in the past, renewed efforts facilitated by the current Marist Student Government Association and Center Field Staff paved the way for this student publication to finally receive official recognition on campus.

Today’s decision to issue Center Field an official club charter is a win for student journalism at Marist. But before I focus on the present, let’s review the history of this publication and how we arrived at this moment.

After former Editor-in-Chiefs Marco Schaden and Matt Rzodkiewicz co-founded Center Field in 2018 alongside current faculty advisor Leander Schaerlaekens, the publication began to establish a presence on campus. At many Marist athletic events, a Center Field writer could be found sitting courtside or up in the press box, furiously typing away as the game unfolded before them. Down on the field, a Center Field photographer could be spotted scouring the sidelines in search of the perfect image. Online, hundreds of readers began to view Center Field’s work.

Eventually, Center Field grew into one of the largest student-run organizations in the School of Communications and the Arts, all while providing comprehensive coverage of Marist’s Division I teams. Center Field’s readership continued to grow, with the website receiving over 200,000 views over the past two years. Simultaneously, sports communication and journalism students were provided a pre-professional environment to hone their craft.

As dozens of students began to discover a second home in the Center for Sports Communication, a close-knit atmosphere formed among members who hoped to one day work in the sports media industry. Over the past few years, numerous Center Field members have interned with and, in many cases, gone on to work for industry-leading companies, including ESPN, MLB Network, the NFL, SNY, YES Network and the New York Post, just to name a few. Without Center Field’s existence, it is hard to imagine that these students would have possessed the necessary portfolio of work to earn those positions.

Not only did Center Field begin providing a platform for passionate sports communication and journalism students, but it also filled a void of journalistic coverage of the many student-athletes who call Marist home. Important stories about Marist athletes, coaches and teams shed light on topics including athletes’ mental health, overcoming injuries and the sacrifices athletes make to play the sports they love. Stories were published by the dozens, with each story meeting journalistic standards and the publication as a whole remaining fair and accountable.

While Center Field focused on preparing its members for the industry and providing coverage of Marist athletics, the School of Communication and the Arts provided the necessary funding to keep Center Field running. Without their support, Center Field would not exist. As the publication continued to grow, it became clear that it was time to formalize the relationship between Center Field and Marist by seeking an official club charter, one that would allow Center Field to secure funding and resources from the Student Government Association and use its official status to fully integrate within Marist’s extracurricular settings.

In the fall of 2022, Schaerlakens and then Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Kinane initiated a club chartering process with the student government. The process was long and complex; it required sending dozens of emails, creating lengthy club bylaws, proposing a club budget, attending numerous meetings with student government officials and advisors and holding internal meetings to determine the publication’s structure moving forward.

As a rookie on the Editorial Staff, I witnessed firsthand how Kinane and former Deputy Editor-in-Chief Ricardo Martinez-Paz worked tirelessly to secure a club charter for Center Field. They put blood, sweat and tears into their mission of obtaining a charter for their beloved publication before it was time for them to graduate from Marist, all while simultaneously running the publication itself. Without their leadership and dedication, Center Field would not be anywhere close to the position it is in today.

When it was time for the Student Government Association to decide whether to issue a club charter to Center Field last winter, conditions for a charter could not be agreed upon, marking a disappointing end to a months-long process. Some disagreements existed between the two parties; overall there was a lack of consensus regarding how to govern editorial independence on the campus of Marist College, a disagreement that arose as a result of past Center Field stories that dealt with sensitive topics and misconduct.

When faced with the prospect of compromising the publication’s editorial independence in exchange for a club charter, Kinane, Schaerlaekens and the rest of last year’s Center Field Staff were unwilling to do so. With Center Field coming up empty-handed in its quest to obtain a club charter, the School of Communications and the Arts continued to provide the support needed to sustain Center Field.

This academic year, a new dialogue developed between student government and Center Field. With both parties having new leadership groups in place, it meant a fresh start to get Center Field chartered. These renewed efforts focused on how Center Field handles sensitive stories, which are exceedingly rare and only published if deemed newsworthy and relevant to the public.

Our publication made a concerted effort to emphasize what journalism is and how it should be carried out; we also highlighted how the Marist Circle, the campus’ student newspaper, has maintained editorial independence as a chartered club for decades while publishing sensitive stories of their own.

Most importantly, we emphasized what Center Field’s editorial process looks like when dealing with tough stories. To be clear, most journalists, especially student journalists, do not revel in reporting on upsetting topics or troubling conduct. This is especially true for sports writers who primarily cover athletics. However, on rare occasions when athletes and coaches at Marist become embroiled in negative situations, if the events that have transpired impact the public in some form or fashion, Center Field journalists have a duty to report on it.

Like any Center Field story, these sensitive topics are handled with care. As a publication, we acknowledge that the power of the press is a privilege. We use this power to positively impact the community by providing readers with factually and ethically sound reporting. A minimum of two student editors are required to review any feature story before publication, with more complex stories making their way to the entire board, the faculty advisor, and in a few extreme instances, a school dean and lawyer before publication. No story goes public without numerous pairs of eyes pouring years of knowledge and experience into the editing process.

This new and constructive dialogue focusing on Center Field’s editorial process culminated in today’s agreement to issue Center Field a club charter while preserving its editorial independence.

There are many people responsible for today’s outcome who are deserving of our gratitude. First and foremost, I am thankful for the leadership of SGA Vice President of Club Affairs Jadyn Lance, along with SGA Deputy VP of Club Affairs Justice Seymour, for their efforts in ensuring Center Field would receive an opportunity to reapply for a club charter. Seymour, in particular, played a key role in assisting Center Field during many steps of the chartering process.

I am also deeply grateful to our faculty advisor, Leander Schaerlaeckens, for his unwavering support during this years-long process. My gratitude also extends to former Director of the Center for Sports Communication Jane McManus, who supported Center Field in its infancy during her time at Marist. Similarly, I truly appreciate the public backing our publication received from current faculty members within the School of Communication and the Arts including Kevin Lerner, Chris Riviezzo, Kathleen McNulty, Zachary Arth and Jeffrey Basinger.

Working alongside me throughout this entire multi-year chartering process has been my fellow Editor-in-Chief, Dan Aulbach. As the youngest members of last year’s staff, Dan and I each benefited immensely from the guidance of past Center Field editors; working together with him to realize the vision of our mentors has been a special endeavor. Our seamless partnership and collaborative efforts have helped us maintain the breakneck pace set by our predecessors; Center Field has produced more than 200 posts and amassed over 65,000 views during our time at the helm, and we concurrently completed the club chartering process.

None of this would be possible if it weren’t for the team of editors, graphic designers, photographers and videographers who run this publication on a daily basis. Every single staff member has played a key role in our operation, and their contributions make Center Field what it is. Dan and I are especially grateful for the new group of graphic designers and videographers who we brought on over the past year, as their contributions have enhanced Center Field’s multimedia appeal online and on social media. Even more gratitude is owed to the dozens of general members who file into our meetings week in and week out to contribute to this publication; their enthusiasm and participation are what fuel us.

And lastly, the most important thank-you goes out to you, the readers who support our work. As a publication, our existence is intended to provide people in the Marist community with sports coverage to the best of our unbiased and independent abilities. Without your readership, the work we produce would have far less importance. We appreciate the years of support, engagement and feedback you have provided us with. 

Now that we have ultimately achieved our goal of securing club status for Center Field, our focus turns to becoming even more integrated within the Marist community, all while continuing to do what we do best: provide comprehensive coverage of Marist athletics.

Edited by Ben Leeds, Dan Aulbach and Sam Murphy

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