Mary Frances Myler – Editor in Chief
Prior to her involvement with the Rover, Mary Frances wrote and irregularly published a one-page, hand-illustrated periodical that she crafted meticulously on an old typewriter. She was seven years old. Now, at the ripe old age of twenty-two, Mary Frances is in disbelief that her tenure as editor-in-chief is at an end. She cannot imagine her time at Notre Dame without the Rover, and she is deeply grateful to her masthead for their friendship, dedication, patience, and good humor. After suffering from a severe and relentless case of “Rover brain” since last April, Mary Frances is eager to retreat from civilization and recuperate on the shores of the Great Lakes. She will rejoin society as a postgraduate fellow with the Center for Citizenship and Constitutional Government, a freelance writer, and a member of the Rover’s board of directors.
Elizabeth Self – Managing Editor
Though she beelined for the table at the activities fair freshman year, it took Lizzie a year and a half to reach out to the formidable Rover staff. Seven months later, she committed to the managing editor position, which she has held since August 2020. She extends special thanks to Nick, Nick, Julie, and Bea for introducing her to the liminal space that is late-night Geddes, to Leo and Maggie for their levity during the Covid year from hell, and to this year’s exceptionally devoted staff and friends. After teaching for the summer in Denver, she will join a Catholic pilgrimage organization as a programming and operations intern abroad. She trusts that she will return to South Bend in God’s good time. Lizzie laughs because on day one at Notre Dame, she said she could not possibly love thee more, but she truly has loved Notre Dame more every single day. She is very grateful to the Rover for deepening that love in many ways.
Zef Crnkovich – Politics Editor
Zef began writing for the Rover as a sophomore, with a pair of articles on iconic Catholic athletes Philip Rivers and Kobe Bryant. He transitioned from sports to cultural politics in his junior year, and finally made the full jump into the politics section as co-editor this year. He will always remember editing nights not for the editing but for the nights of fabulous friendship. Sadly, the good times here must come to an end, but Zef’s first stop upon his return to campus will be at the legendary fourth floor of Geddes. Unlike most classics majors, he will begin work after graduation at a quantitative investment firm, giving new meaning to the phrase “Study Everything, Do Anything.” He thanks the Rover and the entire staff for an amazing senior year!
Sean Tehan – Politics Editor
“Do you want to write for the Rover?” “The what?” “The Rover!” “For the audience at home, what is ‘the Clover?’” Such a fateful conversation began Sean’s storied tenure as a watchdawg who barks, but often three days late. Invited to write by his good friend and former Rover editor Nia Sylva, he was promptly promoted to co-editor of the politics section for his senior year. Besides the free Chick Fil-A dinners, he appreciates the wonderful and passionate writers and editors who devote so much of their time to trying to improve what they love, Our Lady’s University. In a shocking turn of events for a political science major, he hopes to be studying law next year to continue fighting the good fights. He thanks the Rover staff for their patience and friendship during his senior year.
Elliott Simons – Publisher
Elliott became the publisher for the Rover as a senior. He transferred to Notre Dame from Benedictine College as a junior, and initially became familiar with the paper through his involvement as a Sorin Fellow. Elliott has enjoyed his time with the Rover, from distributing the paper around campus on cold snowy mornings to figuring out how to pay taxes. He appreciates the friendships he has made this past year and the opportunities to meet Rover alumni. After graduating as an economics and math double-major, he will be moving to Buffalo, New York for a job in the Management Development Program in the Financial Planning and Analysis division at M&T Bank. Elliott is getting married this summer to his fiancée Becky, who is graduating from Benedictine College in May. He will miss Notre Dame and the Rover, but he looks forward to coming back to visit in the future.
Dane Litchfield – Social Media Coordinator
Dane was introduced to the Rover as a Holy Cross College student his freshman year through the Knights of Columbus and the Militia Immaculata. He jumped on the opportunity to become a Social Media Coordinator 5 minutes after the editor-in-chief sent out a posting for the position in a GroupMe. Dane fondly remembers the rekindling of old friendships and the births of new ones through serving on the Rover staff. He will miss misty mornings, the frequent availability of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, shocking the Rover staff with his ability to do the splits, and the red tape that Holy Cross students have to cut through in order to take classes at Notre Dame. He thanks Notre Dame for teaching him about good wine and even better theology. After graduating as salutatorian of the humanities department at Holy Cross College this May, Dane will attend Villanova University this fall to pursue a Master of Theological Studies degree, concentrating in systematic and historical theology.
