The summer months mean high temperatures for UA students but the new editor in chief for the Arizona Summer Wildcat will be a breath of fresh air for those stuck in Tucson.
Kris Cabulong, a senior majoring in English and creative writing, joined the Wildcat in summer 2003 as a copy editor.
Although Cabulong said at first he had no aspirations to work for a newspaper, after working in the summer he grew to love it and craved to become more involved.
"I had a desire to become a bigger part of the Wildcat as opposed to just reading and correcting copy," Cabulong said. "I would have started working here earlier and I probably would have majored in journalism if I would've known how much I'd like it here."
It didn't take long for Cabulong to work his way up the Wildcat ladder. He has spent the last year working as the newspaper's associate editor.
"Becoming editor in chief seemed to be a natural progression," Cabulong said.
Brett Fera, current editor in chief of the Wildcat, said Cabulong was a surprise pick for the position.
"Kris is kind of a surprise candidate, but it actually makes a lot of sense because there hasn't been anyone around the newsroom as much as he has been in the past few years," Fera said.
Fera said because the summer newspaper is weekly, opposed to the daily semester publications, Cabulong will have more opportunities to "really dive in."
"He'll have a chance to really push and create more," Fera said.
Cabulong said he wants to take advantage of the summer magazine-like format and wants to experiment with different ideas.
"I want to experiment with an online forum so we can get quick feedback from readers," Cabulong said. "If it's successful we may continue to use it in the fall."
Mark Woodhams, Arizona Student Media adviser, said even though the summer months may be more relaxed than the school year, the campus is still relatively active and the newspaper will still have the responsibility of publishing a weekly paper that covers what is happening on campus.
Because Cabulong already has an understanding of the inner workings of a newspaper, Woodhams said he has a lot of confidence in Cabulong's skill level.
"Kris comes in with an excellent understanding of the way the Wildcat is organized. He has a lot of insight into a lot of the mechanics of the organization," Woodhams said. "I think he'll do a great job."
This will be a completely new experience for Cabulong, but his predecessor said he believes he'll have a successful run.
"He's not afraid to ask or seek help, which is a very important characteristic for this position," Fera said.
Cabulong said he is already working hard preparing for his summer reign. He will be spending the last few weeks of this semester preparing a student staff for the Summer Wildcat.
"This job is going to make for some long nights, but overall I'm looking forward to seeing how the paper will turn out this summer," Cabulong said.