Laili Shahrestani, Editor-in-Chief
Since its emergence in 1924, The Quadrangle student newspaper has been central to the legacy of Manhattan University (MU), with generations of editors-in-chief being a part of the publication’s evolution across multiple decades.
For over 102 years, The Quadrangle has evolved in many ways — from news coverage to its layout, as well as in its trust and impact on the community. While there have been quite a few prominent changes, a lot has also remained constant.
Three Quad alumni, all who served as the editors-in-chief of their time, reflected back on their experiences once working as student journalists.
John Paluszek, EIC of 1954
As a former Quad EIC, John Paluszek recalls many fond memories during his time at The Quadrangle. From decades ago to the modern-day, the aspect of teamwork and journalistic integrity remains a vital part of The Quadrangle’s mission. Paluszek expressed that these values have stuck with him across many years, and have even translated into his personal life.
“I would say the skills of being an editor and a journalist, I applied in many ways throughout my life,” Paluszek said. “And those skills were based on integrity, telling the truth and saying it in interesting ways… That was something I was able to apply in a career, family life and with experiences in different groups.”
While integrity was and still is very important to the journalism industry, many have expressed concerns when it comes to trusting the media. According to an article released by the Pew Research Center in 2026, 57% of Americans do not trust that journalists have their best interest in mind. Paluszek shared his thoughts regarding trust in the media and how it differed back in the 50s.
“So in my day, there were several daily newspapers in NYC… And they were very influential, of course,” Paluszek said. “… Newspapers were once very important and trusted.”
When it comes to content and layout, The Quadrangle is currently composed of four sections: News, Features, Arts & Entertainment and Sports, as well as columns across each. Back during Paluszek’s time, there was a specific column that no longer exists today.
“A column was written, traditionally, by the EIC every issue, and it was called ‘The Young Men of Manhattan,’” Paluszek said. “Obviously, the school only had male students, and that was the case for a long time [until 1973].”
Additionally, Paluszek shared that writers would cover stories pertaining to both on and off-campus issues, such as politics and current events. He spoke a bit more to what this looked like in the 50s.
“There was a lot of attention to what was going on around campus, and also a modest amount of attention to what was going on in the world,” Paluszek said. “Like the Korean War, for example, and there was also a terrible basketball scandal that had to be covered … The world was evolving, America was evolving and we couldn’t ignore it.”
Patrice Athanasidy, EIC of 1987
Patrice Athanasidy, former Quad EIC, also worked as a journalism and public relations professor here at MU, before switching institutions. Athanasidy shared that the experiences she made through the publication were ones she thoroughly enjoyed, so-much-so, she came back to work in the communication office.
“My favorite part was the collaboration of telling the college’s stories,” Athanasidy
wrote. “I enjoyed it so much, I eventually came back and worked with the communication office for five-years full time…”
When it came to student journalism in the 80s, The Quadrangle asked Athanasidy what the most pressing topics were of her time.
“… At that time, the campus had only been co-ed for a bit more than a decade,” Athanasidy wrote. “It was still mostly a commuter school … We always took the editorial section seriously too. Taking a stand and representing the students was very important to us.”
While Athanasidy shared that much of the news coverage The Quadrangle did was in regard to serious issues, she mentioned that every now and then they also liked to “keep it light.”
“We kept it light in places too,” Athanasidy wrote. “I covered when Larry Linville from MASH came to campus. He was very funny and had a great message about how to live life.”
Jeanette Settembre, EIC of 2014
Jeanette Settembre, current New York Post reporter and author of “Little Red Flags,” served as a Quad EIC a bit over one decade ago.
Through her time on The Quadrangle, Settembre has learned a multitude of skills, with one being the ability to conduct a proper interview. To this day, this skill feels extremely relevant in her current career.
“Working for The Quadrangle set the groundwork for fostering interview skills that I use to this day as a journalist at the New York Post,” Settembre said. “Early on, when I would be reporting stories, I had to come prepared with a list of questions and be able to conduct an interview in a professional way. And the first time I was able to do that was at The Quadrangle.”
While 2014 was still considered a digital era, social media – especially in regard to news coverage, had nowhere near the same impact it holds today. Settembre shared her experience being a part of The Quadrangle at a time where physical newspapers were the primary medium for exposure.
“When I was EIC, we had both a website and the print newspaper, but the print newspaper was what was flying off the shelves, because we didn’t have the bandwidth to have people posting so frequently to the website,” Settembre said. “So it was more of a print first, digital second operation .. It was prior to news on social media.”
In contrast to Settembre’s experience, The Quadrangle is now a web exclusive publication, discounting the three special print editions per year. Even when The Quadrangle does print today, there seems to be a lack of eagerness within the student body to pick up and read a print copy. A decade ago, the opposite appeared to be true.
“The print product was super valuable, and it was readily available throughout campus,” Settembre said. “ … People would pick it up, and they would read it around campus.”
As a Page Six journalist in 2026, Settembre recognizes the importance of multimedia journalism in the current age. She emphasized the need for digital media, and that social media usage is a key component as to what makes storytelling so great.
“I feel like social media is such a big thing, and a creative way to tell stories,” Settembre said. “If I was EIC now, I would try to do something like a social only newspaper, where we would do interviews and post clips of stories on social, and make it really video focused, so that it’s more shareable … I just feel like print is so secondary now … I think it’s about finding ways to bring the multimedia component to life beyond print.”
