Invasion of Privacy: Business Manager Megan Pecenco
Photo courtesy of Megan Pecenco
With graduation swiftly approaching, The Lamron talked with Megan Pecenco, the Business Manager for The Lamron as she prepares to end her time at SUNY Geneseo. A senior business administration major from Clarence, NY, Megan began her time at The Lamron last semester, when she was encouraged by the previous Editor-in-Chief, Nathaniel D’Amato, to apply for the position because of her studies in business.
Having never previously been involved with the paper, Megan faced some challenges when she first joined. When asked which parts of the position came naturally to her and which aspects were more challenging, she noted that “speaking with businesses and planning out the purchase plans” was the easiest. On the other hand, “using the editing software, InDesign, to create a page for hard prints” was the most challenging part of the role. In dealing with those challenges, Megan noted that she was able to persevere because of the support from our current Editor-in-Chief, Brooke Klugewicz, claiming that Klugewicz “is always available to talk and help [her] get stuff done.”
When thinking about a newspaper, oftentimes you may overlook those who work behind the scenes in the non-editorial sphere. Each member of The Lamron plays a different part in how we operate, and Megan’s role as the Business Manager plays an important part in our daily operations. Key aspects of her role as Business Manager are some that you may not realize, with her explaining that she is “in charge of securing advertisements for [The Lamron] to help pay for the [physical] prints, contact[ing] local businesses to [assist them] with ads on our website, Instagram, and our physical prints.” Not only does she do a great amount of outreach, but she also does “all of the budgeting and purchases for the newspaper to help get the equipment [The Lamron needs]” and “work[s] closely with the printing company.”
While Megan’s position focuses on the business operations of the paper, she was pleasantly surprised to see herself writing often, writing a total of four to five articles within the past two semesters, and writing “the classifieds page [...] whether that includes an advertisement or letting people know what events are happening on campus in the next week.” While she may not write every single week, she noted that she is “very impressed and surprised at the amount of time that everyone puts into their jobs on top of balancing everything else.”
Aside from being the Business Manager for The Lamron, Megan is simultaneously an active member of Alpha Kappa Psi, the co-ed professional business fraternity at SUNY Geneseo, as well as the treasurer for the club softball team. Megan mentioned that she “applied to be the business manager for The Lamron and [she] had never even heard of it, let alone read it,” and notes that she wished she had joined sooner than she did.
Leaving such a great organization is always difficult, and Megan hopes “the visibility and awareness of what The Lamron is” will continue to grow once she departs, explaining that all SUNY Geneseo students should have the honor of reading and getting involved with The Lamron. “There [really] is a role and position for everyone, and it is a great opportunity to be active in almost all events happening on campus,” Megan noted when asked what she wanted to tell her freshman-year self.
After graduating from Geneseo, Megan plans on starting a career in healthcare administration. We wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors, and thank you for all that you do for The Lamron, Megan!