Do you remember walking into the Org Fair for the first time? Every semester, the Org Fair features more than 100 active student orgs at Mac in rows of tables in the fieldhouse of the Leonard Center. Perusing through the endless sea of tables as a new semester begins is an overwhelming experience for many. Commitment to orgs and the amount and variety of choices available can be daunting.
In an effort to increase awareness around various orgs, we are starting a new column: Student Org Spotlights. In each column, we will highlight a group of student orgs and what they do around campus, starting this week with a group closest to what we do here at The Mac Weekly: publication orgs!
Macalester Street Journal (MSJ)
First, meet MSJ, a scholarly journal that publishes student essays in the fields of economics, political science and the recently added geography. The journal publishes one issue per semester, forming a volume by the end of the calendar year.
MSJ was founded by Sean Maxfield ’26 and Luke Evans ’26 in the fall of 2022 and published its first issue in spring of 2023. Evans, the chief politics editor, said that he and Maxfield formed the journal to “give students and ourselves an outlet to explore academic publishing.” It hasn’t been easy for MSJ to get off the ground.
“Sometimes it can be difficult as an academic group to have people engage in academic activities outside of school,” Evans noted. “It’s a challenge, but it’s an enjoyable challenge.”
In Evans’ experience at MSJ, the challenge pays off when he collaborates with others.
“Working with those authors … gives you that insight into what their scholarship is about and it opens your eyes to just how expansive the realm of research can actually be,” Evans said.
Co-General Director Maxfield agreed that publishing student academic work is rewarding. He reflected on how MSJ has given him opportunities to learn through the work of Macalester students.
“I can see all of the economic principles that I learned in class put into action,” Maxfield said. “And then I also get to learn about poli sci. And now I’ll get to learn about geography, because that’s our new section.”
The branching into other academic fields is a shared goal of the MSJ editing team. As noted by Evans, “We really are open to anything under the sun when it comes to topic and when it comes to scholarship.”
To get involved with MSJ, whether by submitting a paper or joining the editing team, Evans and Maxfield say to email them (macstreetjournal@macalester. edu) or come to a meeting.
“If you want to be like your professors and have an orchid profile and a Google Scholar profile, and feel as though you’re not just writing to write, but you’re writing to contribute, this is the place to be,” Maxfield said.
Chanter
Next, meet Chanter, Macalester’s literary magazine which publishes students’ written and visual creative works. Founded in 1957, Chanter publishes one issue per semester. Chanter accepts submissions to the magazine and holds weekly meetings to discuss the submissions.
Literary Editor Kien Nguyen ’25 said that he was initially interested in the magazine to see what other students create.
“I first joined Chanter as a weekly member because I think it’s really fun to read what people have to send in,” Nguyen said.
The org accepts submissions from all students, not just those who attend meetings. Editor-in-Chief Zoë Scheuerman ’24 discussed the magazine’s blind submission process and encouraged students to submit their work.
“There are tons of really cool opportunities for students to have their work platformed … [and we provide] a pretty low stakes platform to do that,” Scheuerman said. “Submitting can be intimidating, but then getting published is also really affirming.”
Submissions Manager Jamila Sigal Vasquez ’26 talked about the community of weekly meetings, and how she feels included and valued.
“Everyone is so nice and respectful, and that makes me feel comfortable to share my opinion,” Sigal Vasquez said. “It makes me feel like I can be productive and helpful.”
To get involved with Chanter, Scheuerman said to come to their weekly meetings on Thursdays 7-8 p.m. in Old Main 010, or to contact them at [email protected].
Nguyen concluded by emphasizing how important student publications are to Macalester as a whole.
“Especially with online publication, it is [one of] the first thing[s] people see when they google Macalester College,” he said. “I work in admissions and we always have all the publications there for everyone to see.”
The Hegemonocle
We end our journey through publication orgs on a lighter note with The Hegemonocle, a satire magazine founded in 2009. The Hegemonocle, aka the Hege, publishes magazines twice a semester with vibrant pages blending text and graphic design in thematic spreads that often reference Macalester-specific experiences.
The Hege’s Head of Production Rene’e Gonzales ’24 explained how the org approaches its humor: “We punch up, right? We make fun of people who have it nice and flush…that is where our satire comes from,” Gonzales said. “And if there’s communities that are like, ‘Who do you make fun of?’ … I’m queer. I’m Mexican … I’m trans. I don’t want to read a magazine that makes fun of my communities. But I’d love to read something that’s making fun of President Rivera just because she’s the president of Macalester College.”
Co-Editor-in-Chief Dan Bially Levy ’24 discussed the reason he enjoys working on the Hege: spreading humor around campus.
“It’s bringing joy to us and our little group of people who are working [on it], but it’s also bringing joy to everyone else,” Bially Levy said.
Compared with other publication orgs, the Hege is completely rooted in humor.
“I think what makes us different is that we’re silly. We’re just carefree. And it’s all humor,” Gonzales said.
To get involved, email [email protected] or come to one of their bi-weekly meetings held on Thursdays from 9-10 p.m. and Sundays from 1-3 p.m. in CC 206.
Gonzales concluded by stressing the importance of readership to literary students orgs. “We are here for people. Even if you don’t join us, you keep us alive by reading,” they said.
