CHRIS COUDUTO /Arizona Daily Wildcat Incoming editor in chief Daniel Scarpinato is entering his third year of work at the Wildcat. He spent the past semester working as managing editor.

Incoming editor in chief hopes to build off past foundations

When Daniel Scarpinato was an Arizona Daily Wildcat news reporter, he wasn't afraid to do the dirty work.

During his second semester as a reporter for the Wildcat, his editors called on him to hunt down precise information for a story that was to run the next day. Scared to call President Pete Likins at home themselves, the editors turned to Scarpinato. He obliged.

"It's really illustrative of his dedication to his job and the Wildcat," said outgoing editor in chief Jeff Sklar, who will be handing his job over to Scarpinato on Thursday.

Now, Scarpinato will have a staff of nearly 100 people to do his dirty work. He was recently selected editor in chief of the UA's only campus daily newspaper for the spring semester.

"There will be several times when I won't know what to do," he said. "I'm getting excited and am looking forward to being scared and having to make those difficult decisions. I've been here long enough to know what I should be scared about and what I shouldn't."

Scarpinato will be starting his third year at the Wildcat in the spring. He began as a news reporter two years ago, and then he became the assistant news editor. This semester, Scarpinato worked as Sklar's "right hand," the managing editor. He worked on in-depth stories, production and dealt with the human resources aspect of the Wildcat.

With his extensive experience at the Wildcat, Scarpinato has plans to improve the paper based on the work past editors have put into it.

"There will be more dedication to campus news for people to find out what's going on on campus," he said. "Overall, I think opening the doors and making sure that we are hearing the community is important."

Scarpinato plans to hire people from around campus to the Wildcat staff to make events coverage more representative of the different parts of campus.

He also hopes to make the Wildcat's news coverage focused on events that are more central to readers and to make the Wildcat the number one source of news about what's happening on campus.

"Readers will, hopefully, notice that the paper is more centered on their lives and the events that affect them."

More than experience is needed to run for the editor in chief position.

Last summer, Scarpinato took a class that included a discussion about budget cuts in which the increase in Likins' salary arose. He had recently overseen a story about the issue.

"The facts that were coming up ÷ students would have needed to read the article to know," Scarpinato said.

He said that it illustrated the importance of the Wildcat, and served as motivation for him.

Former editor in chief Maggie Burnett said Scarpinato has an ability to separate business from his personal relationships with staff members. If a problem arises, he is able to put it aside outside of the workplace.

"He knows how to organize a group of people, whether it be a desk or an entire newsroom," she said.

While working on the Wildcat staff, Scarpinato's knowledge of the university has continually grown.

"One thing that stands out about Daniel is the good connections he has made from various issues during the past years at the Wildcat," said Mark Woodhams, director of Arizona Student Media.

Wildcat staffers work around the clock to get the news out before students hit the classrooms.

Design chief Rachel Rainbow described Scarpinato as the comic relief of the newsroom.

"His witty comments really brighten the night at 1 a.m., and when he sings it's even better," she said.

As editor in chief, Scarpinato estimates he will spend 50 hours per week at the Wildcat. But when Scarpinato is not at the Wildcat, his roommate, Wildcat sports writer Dave Stevenson, said they like to enjoy a beer together.

"It's a rule in our house to have a case of beer in the fridge, but we only drink that together in the rare chance when we're both at home," Stevenson said.

Scarpinato will be responsible for the entire production and content of the Wildcat and will serve as the chief editor to the rest of the Wildcat staff.

"I expect him to do a great job," Woodhams said.