He never misses a UA men’s basketball game; she’s into Web coding and Japanese culture. She reads obscure fashion magazines; he sits down with Sports Illustrated.

However different Lance Madden and Lauren LePage may be in their personal lives, they are about to share similar anxieties as the next editors-in-chief of the Arizona Daily Wildcat.

Lance Madden, a journalism sophomore who will lead the paper during the summer, has been working for the Daily Wildcat since before his freshman year. Since then, Madden served as sports editor last summer and this semester, in addition to covering the men’s basketball team.
Despite his progress through the sports desk, Madden didn’t come to the UA with the intention of being a journalist.

“”I had no idea what I wanted to do,”” Madden said. “”My mom wanted me to be a pharmacist. My horseshoeing uncle always wanted me to go that way. So I came into college undeclared for a couple months.””

Madden said it was Mark Woodhams, adviser to the Daily Wildcat for 15 years, who approached him about the summer editor-in-chief position.

“”(During Lance’s) entire career here at the university, he’s been one of the most dedicated staff members of the Wildcat,”” Woodhams said. “”He’s shown enterprise and the ambition to want to take on more responsibilities.””

Michael Schwartz, the former sports editor who hired Madden, said much of the same of Madden’s work ethic.

“”From day one, if there ever was a story that needed (to be) done, it was Lance,”” Schwartz said. “”He would do any story he could get his hands on.””

After the summer, Madden plans to return to the sports desk to cover men’s basketball and work with the fall editor-in-chief, Lauren LePage.

LePage, a senior majoring in creative writing and journalism, is currently the editor-in-chief of RedBlue Magazine. She was a copy editor at the Daily Wildcat in previous years.

Born in Norwich, Conn., LePage said she has been traveling around the United States for most of her life, finally settling in Tucson. She went to Santa Rita High School and graduated as valedictorian in 2004.

Her teachers, family and friends motivated her to pursue a college career, though journalism was always her passion, she said.

“”I like people’s stories,”” LePage said. “”And I’m always fascinated with the way in which different aspects of a society come together. Everything’s really intricately connected and that really fascinates me.””

Though Madden and LePage will be editor-in-chief at different times, both have similar visions for the publications.

Madden said his objective is to create an informative, interesting news product in conjunction with online updates.

“”My main goal,”” Madden said, “”is for people to go up to those newsstands around campus on Wednesday morning and Wednesday afternoons, open up the Summer Wildcat and just enjoy it from front to back, every single section of it.””

LePage said she wants to create a daily news podcast as well as a multimedia editor position to enhance the paper’s online content.

She said she has visions to improve the overall quality of the newspaper, which is one of the reasons she applied for editor-in-chief despite her initial aversion.

“”I actually am not big on being in leadership positions usually,”” LePage said. “”I actually prefer to be part of the team. But … I have a vision for change, and I think (the Daily Wildcat) can really be improved. So I’m putting myself into the position of the leader even though that’s not what I feel is my normal skin.””

LePage aims to increase the amount of in-depth reporting and expand event coverage, citing the campus as the newspaper’s community and the responsibility of the Daily Wildcat to break campus news before other publications.

Another change within the Daily Wildcat will be the implementation of a monthly Daily Wildcat magazine, which will be replacing RedBlue. LePage said a name for the publication has not yet been decided, but the content will be much the same.

Cooperation is paramount to LePage’s newsroom, said Alisa Wilheim, a creative writing sophomore and RedBlue’s photo chief, who has worked with LePage since August. “”She’s really on top of things and pulls everyone together,”” Wilheim said. “”She has an emphasis on teamwork, and that’s why I really like working here.””

LePage said switching from a monthly publication to a daily will be a rough transition, noting she has already begun to have nightmares about filling the space.

Woodhams, however, has confidence in her abilities.

“”I think she’s coming in with a really refined sense of purpose for the paper with a really good sense of the responsibilities and mission in a newspaper,”” Woodhams said. “”She is a responsible and mature individual who’s going to organize a great newspaper, and we’re looking forward to seeing what’s going to happen in the fall.””