The Concordia Courier

Student Newspaper

The Mission

Investigate. Inform. Ignite. Involve.
Rather speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. Ephesians 4:15-16

The Concordia Courier is the student newspaper of Concordia University. Published approximately every two weeks, it includes news articles, feature stories and opinion pieces of interest to the University community.

The opinions expressed in The Concordia Courier are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the administration, faculty, staff or student body of Concordia University. Editorials reflect the views of the majority of the editorial staff.

The Staff

John Symank

Editor-in-Chief

John Symank

Editor-in-Chief

John Symank is the Editor-in-Chief for the Concordia Courier, Concordia University Irvine’s student-led newspaper. He is currently a senior, completing a BA in Communication Studies with an emphasis in Mass Communication, and a minor in Business Administration.

As Editor-in-Chief, John oversees all four sections of the paper - Campus life, sports, arts and reviews, and local and global news coverage. He works alongside the Courier’s layout editor, Madeline Jahshan, to ensure that the paper’s print edition looks professional and clean. John’s role allows him to interact with community pillars, both students and faculty, in live interviews and communications with the newspaper readership upon publication.

John has been writing or editing for newspapers since 2017, when he began writing for his high school newspaper, The Californian. In the future, he hopes to use his experience to write meaningful and impactful news stories at a major publication.

Maddie Jahshan

Layout Editor

Maddie Jahshan

Layout Editor

Maddie Jahshan is the Layout Designer for the Concordia Courier, the student-run newspaper for Concordia University Irvine. Maddie is a junior completing a Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design with a minor in computer science. She is originally from Fountain Valley, CA and enjoys coding as much as graphic design. She is a four-year athlete on Concordia’s Track and Field and Cross Country team

As the Layout Designer for the Courier, Maddie creates the signature -- a series of eight pages formatted for print -- of the newspaper for every issue. She takes the articles and photos and puts them together in Adobe InDesign to create eight aesthetically pleasing pages. She works closely with EIC John Symank. Maddie also works to get the printed copies distributed across campus on Fridays and is a key editor working on the launch of the Courier’s digital edition.

Maddie enjoys working digitally to put her creativity to use and collaboration with a team. She also enjoys challenges and pushes herself in all areas.

Jenna Hoffman

Campus Editor

Jenna Hoffman

Campus Editor

Jenna Hoffman is the Campus Editor for the Concordia Courier. She is from Tacoma, Washington and loves the cold and the rain. Jenna is majoring in Communications with a minor in Graphic Design and she hopes to pursue a career in journalism or design in the future. Her dream job would be to work at a magazine where she could have the opportunity to utilize her journalistic and design skills by writing articles about topics that she is passionate about or by contributing to the marketing and layout efforts of said magazine.

Leonard Memon

Arts and Reviews Editor

Leonard Memon

Arts and Reviews Editor

Leonard Memon is the Arts & Reviews Editor for the Concordia Courier, student-run campus newspaper for Concordia University Irvine. Leonard is a senior from Irvine, CA, currently completing a BA in Communication Studies, Mass Communication Emphasis with a Psychology minor.

In Leonard’s current role as Arts & Reviews Editor, he writes articles for each edition and oversees other Arts & Reviews articles from his peers. Leonard's beat primarily covers music, theater, visual arts, and forensics (speech & debate). Leonard’s role allows him to interact with community pillars, both students and faculty, in live interviews and communications with the newspaper readership upon publication. He conducts interviews with various campus sources, strengthening his articles with credibility and connecting him to many diverse individuals in the community.

Leonard believes that effective writing is both intrinsically and extrinsically enjoyable and at the core of any job or activity. He pulls from his work as a writing consultant for Concordia's Writing Studio and as a speech and debate competitor to write well-organized eloquent articles for the Courier.

Maad Alkadhim

Sports Editor

Maad Alkadhim

Sports Editor

Maad AlKadhim is the Sports Editor for the Concordia Courier, Concordia University Irvine’s student-led newspaper. Maad is a Senior completing a Bachelor in Communication Studies with a Mass Communication emphasis and a Marketing minor.

In Maad’s current role as the Sports Editor, he writes and brainstorms articles for each newspaper edition and oversees other sports related articles. In addition, Maad works closely with Student Athletes and coaches through in-person interviews and interactions. Also, Maad closely watches the progress of the athletes teams of Concordia University for possible headlines and stories for future editions of the newspaper.

Maad AlKadhim has been writing for the Concordia Courier since Spring 2021 as a student writer. His experience as a student gives him close connections he has with various members of the University to be able to extract great quotes and articles.

Shannon Rhodes

Media Editor

Shannon Rhodes

Media Editor

Shannon Rhodes is a passionate and driven Senior at Concordia University, Irvine. She is following her love of writing while pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Communication. Shannon holds the position as Media Editor for the Concordia Courier, a student-run newspaper that highlights events and accomplishments happening on campus. As Media Editor, Shannon works closely with Instagram and the Concordia Courier website to publish articles and highlight student accomplishments. She loves being in a team environment working closely with her peers to make the Courier the best it can possibly be. Shannon looks forward to taking her editing and media skills to pursue a career in Digital Marketing.

Caroline Wong

Faculty Advisor

Caroline Wong

Faculty Advisor

With a BFA in Film from New York University and an MBA in Marketing from California State University, Fullerton, Caroline has worked as a media professional in New York, Los Angeles and Orange County for more than 20 years. She serves as faculty advisor for the Courier staff.

Caroline spent 11 years at FOX in Los Angeles where she worked on the local launch of prime programming like “American Idol” and “24,” syndicated shows and local news products, including producing image campaigns for FOX 11’s morning talker “Good Day L.A.,” which consistently maintained the #1 position in it’s time slot during her tenure.

Along with her role as faculty advisor for the Concordia Courier, Caroline is currently the Director of Communications for Southern California News Group, which includes The Orange County Register.

Concordia Courier Issues

Download archived issues of the Concordia Courier.

Volume 18

September 22, 2023 Volume 18, Issue 2

Volume 17

April 21, 2023 Volume 17, Issue 12

February 24, 2023 Volume 17, Issue 9

February 10, 2023 Volume 17, Issue 8

January 20, 2023 Volume 17, Issue 7

December 9, 2022 Volume 17, Issue 6

November 11, 2022 Volume 17, Issue 5

October 28, 2022 Volume 17, Issue 4

October 7, 2022 Volume 17, Issue 3

September 23, 2022 Volume 17, Issue 2

September 2, 2022 Volume 17, Issue 1

Volume 16

April 29, 2022 Volume 16, Issue 12

April 8, 2022 Volume 16, Issue 11

March 18, 2022 Volume 16, Issue 10

February 25, 2022 Volume 16, Issue 9

February 11, 2022 Volume 16, Issue 8

January 21, 2021 Volume 16, Issue 7

December 10, 2021 Volume 16, Issue 6

November 19, 2021 Volume 16, Issue 5

October 29, 2021 Volume 16, Issue 4

October 15, 2021 Volume 16, Issue 3

September 24, 2021 Volume 16, Issue 2

September 03, 2021 Volume 16, Issue 1

Volume 15

April 30, 2021 Volume 15, Issue 12

April 16, 2021 Volume 15, Issue 11

March 19, 2021 Volume 15, Issue 10

February 26, 2021 Volume 15, Issue 9

February 12, 2021 Volume 15, Issue 8

January 22, 2021 Volume 15, Issue 7

December 11, 2020 Volume 15, Issue 6

November 13, 2020 Volume 15, Issue 5

October 30, 2020 Volume 15, Issue 4

October 9, 2020 Volume 15, Issue 3

September 25, 2020 Volume 15, Issue 2

Volume 14

July 29, 2020 Volume 14, Issue 12

February 28, 2020 Volume 14, Issue 11

February 14, 2020 Volume 14, Issue 10

January 31, 2020 Volume 14, Issue 9

January 17, 2020 Volume 14, Issue 8

December 6, 2019 Volume 14, Issue 7

November 22, 2019 Volume 14, Issue 6

November 8, 2019 Volume 14, Issue 5

October 18, 2019 Volume 14, Issue 4

September 27, 2019 Volume 14, Issue 3

September 13, 2019 Volume 14, Issue 2

September 6, 2019 Volume 14, Issue 1

Volume 13

April 26, 2019 Volume 13, Issue 14

April 5, 2019 Volume 13, Issue 13

March 22, 2019 Volume 13, Issue 12

March 1, 2019, Volume 13, Issue 11

February 15, 2019, Volume 13, Issue 10

February 1, 2019, Volume 13, Issue 9

January 18, 2019, Volume 13, Issue 8

December 7, 2018, Volume 13, Issue 6

November 2, 2018, Volume 13, Issue 5

October 19, 2018, Volume 13, Issue 4

October 5, 2018, Volume 13, Issue 3

September 14, 2018, Volume 13, Issue 2

August 31, 2018, Volume 13, Issue 1

Volume 12

April 27, 2018, Volume 12, Issue 14

April 6, 2018, Volume 12, Issue 13

March 23, 2018, Volume 12, Issue 12

March 2, 2018, Volume 12, Issue 11

February 16, 2018, Volume 12, Issue 10

February 2, 2018, Volume 12, Issue 9

January 19, 2018, Volume 12, Issue 8

December 8, 2017, Volume 12, Issue 7

November 17, 2017, Volume 12, Issue 6

November 3, 2017, Volume 12, Issue 5

October 20, 2017, Volume 12, Issue 4

October 6, 2017, Volume 12, Issue 3

September 15, 2017, Volume 12, Issue 2

September 1, 2017, Volume 12, Issue 1

Volume 11

March 3, 2017 Volume 11, Issue 11

February 17, 2017 Volume 11, Issue 10

February 3, 2017 Volume 11, Issue 9

January 20, 2017 Volume 11, Issue 8

December 9, 2016 Volume 11, Issue 7

November 18, 2016 Volume 11, Issue 6

November 4, 2016 Volume 11, Issue 5

October 21, 2016 Volume 11, Issue 4

September 29, 2016 Volume 11, Issue 3

September 16, 2016 Volume 11, Issue 2

September 2, 2016 Volume 11, Issue 1

Volume 10

April 29, 2016 Volume 10, Issue 14

April 15, 2016 Volume 10, Issue 13

March 31, 2016 Volume 10, Issue 12

March 11, 2016 Volume 10, Issue 11

February 19, 2016 Volume 10, Issue 10

February 5, 2016 Volume 10, Issue 9

January 22, 2016 Volume 10, Issue 8

December 11, 2015 Volume 10, Issue 7

November 20, 2015 Volume 10, Issue 6

November 6, 2015 Volume 10, Issue 5

October 23, 2015 Volume 10, Issue 4

October 2, 2015 Volume 10, Issue 3

September 18, 2015 Volume 10, Issue 2

September 4, 2015 Volume 10, Issue 1

Volume 9

April 24, 2015 Volume 9, Issue 14

April 10, 2015 Volume 9, Issue 13

March 20, 2015 Volume 9, Issue 12

February 27, 2015 Volume 9, Issue 11

February 13, 2015 Volume 9, Issue 10

January 30, 2015 Volume 9, Issue 9

January 16, 2015 Volume 9, Issue 8

December 5, 2014 Volume 9, Issue 7

November 14, 2014 Volume 9, Issue 6

October 31, 2014 Volume 9, Issue 5

October 17, 2014 Volume 9, Issue 4

September 26, 2014 Volume 9, Issue 3

September 12, 2014 Volume 9, Issue 2

August 29, 2014 Volume 9, Issue 1

Volume 8

April 25, 2014 Volume 8, Issue 14

April 11, 2014 Volume 8, Issue 13

March 28, 2014 Volume 8, Issue 12

March 14, 2014 Volume 8, Issue 11

February 21, 2014 Volume 8, Issue 10

February 7, 2014 Volume 8, Issue 9

January 17, 2014 Volume 8, Issue 8

December 6, 2013 Volume 8, Issue 7

November 15, 2013 Volume 8, Issue 6

November 1, 2013 Volume 8, Issue 5

October 18, 2013 Volume 8, Issue 4

September 27, 2013 Volume 8, Issue 3

September 13, 2013 Volume 8, Issue 2

August 23, 2013 Volume 8, Issue 1

Volume 7

August 28, 2012 - Volume 7, Issue 1

September 11, 2012 - Volume 7, Issue 2

September 25, 2012 - Volume 7, Issue 3

October 9, 2012 - Volume 7, Issue 4

October 30, 2012 - Volume 7, Issue 5

November 13, 2012 - Volume 7, Issue 6

December 4, 2012 - Volume 7, Issue 7

January 15, 2013 - Volume 7, Issue 8

February 5, 2013 - Volume 7, Issue 9

February 19, 2013 - Volume 7, Issue 10

March 12, 2013 - Volume 7, Issue 11

March 26, 2013 - Volume 7, Issue 12

April 9, 2013 - Volume 7, Issue 13

April 23, 2013 - Volume 7, Issue 14

Volume 6

April 17, 2012- Volume 6, Issue 13

March 27, 2012- Volume 6, Issue 12

March 13, 2012- Volume 6, Issue 11

February 21, 2012- Volume 6, Issue 10

February 7, 2012- Volume 6, Issue 9

January 24, 2012- Volume 6, Issue 8

December 6, 2011- Volume 6, Issue 7

November 8, 2011- Volume 6, Issue 6

October 25, 2011- Volume 6, Issue 5

October 11, 2011- Volume 6, Issue 4

September 27, 2011- Volume 6, Issue 3

September 13, 2011- Volume 6, Issue 2

August 30, 2011 - Volume 6, Issue 1

Volume 5

August 31, 2010 - Volume 5, Issue 1

September 14, 2010 - Volume 5, Issue 2

September 28, 2010 - Volume 5, Issue 3

October 12, 2010 - Volume 5, Issue 4

October 26, 2010 - Volume 5, Issue 5

November 9, 2010 - Volume 5, Issue 6

December 7, 2010 - Volume 5, Issue 7

February 1, 2011 - Volume 5, Issue 8

February 15, 2011 - Volume, Issue 9

March 8, 2011 - Volume 5, Issue 10

March 22, 2011 - Volume 5, Issue 11

April 5, 2011 - Volume 5, Issue 12

April 19, 2011 - Volume 5, Issue 13

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