Andrew Francis, a recent communication graduate, will return to Andrews University to pursue a second bachelor’s degree and become editor-in-chief of the newspaper for the next 4 years, according to an official announcement delivered to the editorial team of the Andrews University Student Movement on March 22, 2026. While the reactions were mixed among the editors and ex-editors, the news was confirmed later by faculty sponsor Kaara Harris, as the newspaper starts to wrap up for the current school year.
When asked about his decision to return to the land of the Cardinals, Francis mentioned that his experience back at home was not the best, emphasizing that his parents “could not provide me the No. 1 nationally ranked cultural diversity that I need to live and breathe that Andrews University has sustained me with since 2022.”
From his six-month experience as editor-in-chief, as well as previous Humans editor and writer for the SM, what he enjoyed the most was learning about his community at school, as he took the time to investigate, talk with people, and attend events that he would not have attended because of his poor social life. Additionally, Francis mentioned that he also loved “making administrators and other people nervous when I would interview and expose them for their nefarious deeds, and millions would read.”
Regarding his plans with the Student Movement, Francis expressed desire to “add more pictures and graphics to our articles and social media posts, because I think our readers enjoy the visual art and frankly our social media director and photo director don't work nearly enough as is.” Francis also would work towards bringing printed issues back and sending copies to other Adventist institutions, “especially Oakwood University since I know its administrators are big fans of my previous work.”
When current Co-Editor in Chief Corinna Bevier was approached about the news, she expressed frustration and anger. “All of the grunt work that I had put in as a writer and then section editor so that I could finally achieve the position of co-editor-in-chief is totally pointless now that Andrew is coming back,” she explained.
While Bevier does not hold any grudges against Francis, she pointed out that “it's time he let somebody else have a turn [at the EiC chair].”
Finnegan Blake, SM’s website editor, disagreed with Francis’ idea of bringing back physical newspapers, explaining that “it would take away money and resources from important things we need at Andrews, like giant globe maintenance.”
Additionally, Blake was planning to apply to become editor-in-chief for the 2026-27 academic year. “I would've renamed the newspaper to ‘Finn's Feelings’ and fired all the other writers except me,” he said, citing that it would allow extra creativity for the publication.
As Blake also expresses frustration about Francis’ return, he criticized Francis’ decision to keep studying at dear AU. “Either the job market must be pretty bad, or he's trying to get as far away from the New York Jets as possible,” he said.
Amelia Stefanescu, an Andrews alumni and previous editor-in-chief during the 2024-25 academic year, expressed concern regarding Francis’ plan in terms of his ability to move forward in life. “Some of us managed the transition, but I guess adaptability is a spectrum,” she said.
Highlighting the paper’s ability to endure all changes, Stefanescu stays optimistic about the Student Movement’s ability to face the new Francis phase, despite whatever happens. Criticizing Francis’ statement regarding the media editors, Stefanescu declared that “nothing motivates a team quite like being told publicly that they ‘don’t work nearly enough.’”
As Francis prepares to come back to southwest Michigan, he expressed gratitude towards the current co-editors in chief, addressing them as “pupils.” “I know that it's not an easy job, so I'm happy to make it look easy again for them as they get a break,” Francis said.
Besides photography editor Nate Reid’s small reaction to Francis’ announcement, replying “OK buddy,” other current editors have not responded to inquiries about the topic, citing matters of focus on the present and preparing the paper for whoever comes next.
Meanwhile, the other co-editor-in-chief has gone missing, with some witnesses citing seeing shadows of her figure near Hamel Hall before disappearing. Suspicions point to Francis possibly being behind the editor’s disappearance in order to secure his position for the next school year.
This article was sponsored by the (fictional) April Fools’ Day Initiative. Have a nice day 😀.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.