Club feature: Outside Colby
2020 has been an unforgettable year. Between COVID-19 and the upcoming presidential election, there’s a lot to talk about—which is why Outside Colby is here to help. The College’s only non-partisan political publication, Outside Colby “seeks to expand what people think of politics,” according to their website.
Outside Colby is currently led by two co-Editors-in-Chief (EICs), Eana Bacchiocchi `21 and Himanshu Bhurtel `21, who have both been involved with the magazine since their freshman year. Bacchiocchi, a double major in English and Environmental Policy, and Bhurtel, a Biology Neuroscience major with a minor in Japanese, want to bring together their unique educational experience to create an unforgettable year at Outside Colby.
“We want to increase discourse,” Bacchiocchi said in an interview with The Colby Echo. “Our slogan is ‘Everything is Political,’ and you can see that now more than ever. I think that so many Colby students can bring their interests and their perspectives and share that with each other.”
Outside Colby has already published one issue called the “Disorientation Guide,” a collection of writing by Colby students that seeks to show incoming students a truthful account of what it’s like to attend Colby. Contributing writers covered issues ranging from sports culture to the first-year social scene. Upcoming issues will follow a more traditional format for the publication with five sections: Politics, Maine Affairs, Domestic Affairs, International Affairs, and Arts & Culture.
Bacchiocchi says that she and Bhurtel hope to encourage a larger variety of writers to join and share their opinions with the wider Colby community.
“This past application cycle we saw a lot of international writers apply and get the position, so I’m really excited for that,” Bacchiocchi said. “Having a place to bring all of these diverse voices together, that’s dedicating to publishing and archiving what’s been going on in the world and Colby students’ engagement with that is so important.”
Another major change the two EICs want to make this year is to shift away from their focus on hard-copies and towards a larger digital and social media presence.
“We are really trying to incorporate our digital platform as well,” Bacchiocchi claimed. “So making that transition is a big goal this year. We love having our print copies, but they’re not always picked up. I think especially with all the remote students now, the ability to have every issue published on an easily accessible digital platform is important and a good way to engage readership.”
Ketty Stinson `21, one of Outside Colby’s four section editors, said in an interview with The Colby Echo that this dedication to political engagement is why she enjoys working for the publication.
“I think that political opinion writing is really important and is something that should be a part of the dialogue on Colby’s campus,” Stinson said. “Like the name of the magazine implies, we are getting outside of the Colby bubble. I like being a section editor because I love seeing what other students think and are writing about in the political sphere.”
Bacchiocchi, who started at Outside Colby as a writer for International and Domestic Affairs, obviously shares Stinson’s passion for discourse and dialogue, however, she also has her fair share of frustrations with the publication process.
“I think with any publication you want your writers to care and put work into what they’re doing, and sometimes you’re just going to get a whole range of effort,” Bacchiocchi said. “We try to communicate the importance of putting your best foot forward. We’re a group of 40, so making sure everyone is on the same page about deadlines and layout dates and expectations, etc., can be really difficult.”
The next issue of Outside Colby will be coming out by Wednesday of next week (Oct. 7). Make sure to pick it up in the Spa or the dining halls and catch up on Colby’s political discourse!
~ Sarah Warner `21
