Head editors of Lotus Magazine pictured together.  

MARY HALEY / THE QUADRANGLE 

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Maddie Rosado Managing / News Section Editor

Student-run publications at Manhattan University (MU) continue to navigate independence, faculty collaboration and ongoing financial constraints as they evolve on campus. Despite these pressures, students and faculty advisors say each publication remains focused on supporting student writing, research and creative expression.

Within the network of campus media, each student-run publication serves a distinct role. Logos functions as an academic journal, featuring student scholarly work produced each year. Manhattan Magazine focuses on creative work, serving as a companion publication centered on artistic expression and storytelling. LOTUS Magazine follows a more independent model, giving students greater autonomy in how they organize, fund and produce content.

Manhattan Magazine’s structure, however, has evolved over time. It began as a student-led initiative, originally run independently before becoming more structured through collaboration with the English, World Languages and Literatures Department. That partnership helped formalize the publication process, professionalize production and shift the magazine into a more guided experience for student writers and editors.

Adam Koehler, Ph.D., professor of English at MU and faculty advisor for both Manhattan Magazine and Logos, described the shift as a move from student independence toward institutional collaboration.

“For a while, it was very independent, and then it eventually became a collaboration with the English department, which helped professionalize it and turn it into a learning opportunity,” Koehler said.

Nathaniel Aaron, a senior and editor-in-chief of Logos, noted that within the student-faculty collaboration, Manhattan Magazine and Logos now function in parallel to one another.

“Manhattan Magazine is the creative counterpart to Logos… in many ways, [they] function as two halves of the same body,” Aaron said.

Koehler added that despite structural changes, the core mission of both publications has remained consistent.

“It’s a safe place for students to try on the publishing process and celebrate creative work,” Koehler said.

Other publications, such as LOTUS Magazine, reflect a different model of independence, operating with fewer institutional constraints and greater flexibility in how they shape their content and direction.

“LOTUS is creative, but they’re also much more independent and can pivot with their interests,” Koehler said.

Sienna Gallus, a junior as well as the assistant editor-in-chief and production editor of LOTUS, emphasized that autonomy.

“We want LOTUS to be a space for voices that aren’t always represented in mainstream media,” Gallus said.

As these models of independence within student-run publications continue to evolve, funding constraints remain a key factor in what they can produce, particularly for Manhattan Magazine and Logos.

“Printing alone makes up about 95% of what we spend,” Koehler said.

Aaron echoed these concerns, noting that limited funding directly shapes what can be published.

“Although we do have independence in what we publish, there’s actually a number of downsides … We don’t get to do a fall publication because it’s not in our budget,” Aaron said.

Koehler continued to share that faculty and administrators have acknowledged this challenge and are working toward greater financial stability for student-run publications.

“We’re in the process of trying to maintain a consistent budget line so we can at least cover printing costs every year,” Koehler said.

While Manhattan Magazine and Logos are limited to one print issue per academic year, LOTUS Magazine has maintained a twice-a-year print schedule through student-led fundraising efforts.

“We’ve never received formal school funding, though we’ve applied,” Gallus said. “We handle everything ourselves, from production editing to marketing and event planning, often in collaboration with other student organizations.”

Gallus went on to outline the financial demands behind production.

“Funding is always a challenge,” Gallus said. “Printing alone can cost around $700 per semester, and release events add another $500 or so.”

Due to these constraints, faculty involvement remains central to sustaining the active presence of many student-run publications. For Manhattan Magazine and Logos, Koehler emphasized his role in providing support and resources to students.

“I provide the club with the resources they need for printing… And mentorship in how the peer review process works,” Koehler said.

Even with this support, the financial gap persists.

“We don’t normally need to fundraise, but [the university] funding still isn’t enough to fully support what we do,” Aaron said.

Despite financial limitations and shifting institutional structures, student-run publications continue to serve as both creative and academic outlets on campus. For students and faculty alike, the value lies less in financial stability than in the continued ability to publish, collaborate and preserve student voices in print.

“Publishing and writing are often siloed practices, but as clubs they become social,” Koehler said. “That collaboration is what makes them meaningful; it needs to be social to matter.”