For the last issue of the Record this semester, Editor-in-Chief Max Billick ’26 sat down with members of last year’s Record management team to discuss their retirement from the Record and memories from their time leading the paper. In spring 2024, Izzy Polanco ’25 served as editor-in-chief, with Luke Chinman ’25 and Palvasha Khan ’25 as managing editors. In the fall, Julia Goldberg ’25 served as editor-in-chief, with Chinman and Emily Zas ’25 as managing editors. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Max Billick (MB): Looking back now that you’re about to graduate, how did the Record shape your time at the College?
Julia Goldberg (JG): I think much of my knowledge of both the College and Williamstown has been informed by my experience on the Record. I’ve also met many of my closest friends, as well as some of my most important role models there. They taught me almost everything I know about journalism, since Williams doesn’t offer its own journalism program. I’m extremely grateful to have had their guidance throughout my college experience.
Izzy Polanco (IP): I really liked the experience of being a student journalist, and having that throughout our college years as a way to make sense of the world. I’ve met some of the smartest, most ambitious, and funniest people I know through the Record. I think the relationships that I’ve been able to invest in — both on the board and with community members I’ve spoken to — have deepened my experience and perception of what it means to be a student at Williams.
Luke Chinman (LC): From a practical standpoint, my entire schedule revolved around the Record for a good amount of my time here — the weekly print schedule dictated where I was at all points of the week. But, more philosophically, I think it made me a lot more aware of how this community functions: the smaller communities that make it up, and the structures of power that shape how we live our lives.
Emily Zas (EZ): I joined the Record my sophomore year, and I’m so glad that I did. It’s been a really important community for me throughout my time at Williams. I’ve met the most fun, driven, and smart people I know through it, and I feel like I got to know Williams really well: knowing who to ask questions to, getting to know people that I never would have gotten to know, talking to alums — really exciting opportunities that only happen through the Record.
MB: What is your fondest memory from your time at the Record?
IP: One of my fondest memories was organizing the NESCAC Journalism Conference with Tali Natter [’23]. It was really inspiring to see the work people were doing on other campuses.
EZ: There was a time that Ella [Marx ’24] and I had an interview with an alum who picked us up in his really old 1930s car. He literally drove us across Paresky lawn — like on the grass. It was not safe.
Palvasha Khan (PK): I enjoyed the informal moments — sitting there and just yapping with people on the randomest topics. The informality of Record Tuesday was just a very nice addition to my day. I would be stressed about the pages, but then would have a stupid conversation. It was really nice talking with people I may not have spoken to if we had not met at the Record.
MB: What was your favorite story from your time at the Record?
IP: I really enjoyed my time as a sports editor — the sports page is where I have my roots on the Record. The story I look back on most fondly was the article I wrote about the Matt Stauffer [’96] memorial. Every year, both varsity soccer teams gather to honor his life and legacy. From something so tragic, something so important and vital to those programs continues to emerge.
EZ: One of my favorite stories was the Phantom 500 article I wrote with Luke and Haley [Zimmerman ’26]. It was really fun to write something that got the whole campus talking, and notice people in Paresky reading it. It got people really excited, and that was fun to see.
LC: The story I’m most proud of was an investigation into the way that AI has changed professors’ pedagogical methods. I went into the story feeling like I had a sense of how it would play out, and I was so surprised by the spread of opinions professors had. Some professors said, “This is going to completely change how we conduct research for the better.” And others were like, “This is going to completely destabilize academia as we know it.”
PK: A piece I think about a lot is my boba review. One of the store’s owners especially did not appreciate that review. That piece had real life impacts for me — because now I avoid going there!
MB: 2024 was a very busy year in terms of news — you all shepherded the Record through a lot. What was the biggest challenge you faced during your time on management?
PK: We had big, ambitious plans about how we wanted to make the Record a lot more community-centered, and it’s really hard, because being on management can be very tough: At the end of the day, you have to get a paper out every single week. Balancing wanting to drive change and making sure that you’re still sticking to the roots of the institution is pretty difficult, especially when unexpected things happen. There are things I wish I had done differently, but this is a really hard job that only a couple of people have had, so we should give ourselves a little bit of grace.
JG: I think that the Williams community is split on whether the Record takes itself too seriously or doesn’t take itself seriously enough. And that can be a tricky divide to navigate. We worked extremely hard to build the community’s trust in our work, while steering clear of the stereotype of the self-important student journalist. Of course, we were as diligent as possible when it came to important news coverage, like the investigations we published into allegations of Clery Act violations and the Honor and Discipline committee’s voting procedure. But we also tried to include more light-hearted and entertaining pieces, like the story Emily and I wrote a few months ago on the arrival of Marriage Pact to the College.
MB: Management is a busy and sometimes stressful job — and then at some point it ends. What have you been up to since your retirement from the Record, and how has that felt?
LC: Sleep and TV, which are both great things.
JG: I do appreciate the opportunity to pick up the paper on Wednesday and learn about what’s going on on campus. It’s nice to see the paper without already knowing what’s in it.
LC: It’s strange to go from being the person who is often sharing information to the roles being reversed.
IP: As a senior, I’ve been leaning into opportunities at Williams that will not necessarily exist post-grad. I sing in Purple Rain, which is the R&B a capella group, and it’s been great to make music with those people for another year. And this semester, I’m taking classical vocal lessons. It’s been fun to check off Williams bucket list items that I’ve been meaning to get around to.
MB: Last question: If you had one more week running the Record, what project or story would you take on?
LC: Reorganizing our internal archives.
EZ: My first Record pitch was that I wanted to find out who built the treehouse down by the Hoosic river, and I never did it. If anyone knows, please tell me!
