Inclusion and advocacy — these are just two of the key principles senior Trevor Tyle brings to the table as the newly appointed editor-in-chief of The Oakland Post.

He takes his new role and responsibility to his readers very seriously.

“We are an independent student newspaper, written by students and for students,” he said. “At the end of the day, what we write is being written for the students. They’re the ones who matter.”

Tyle, alongside fellow seniors Katie LaDuke, managing editor, and Katie Valley, content editor, make up this year’s editing trifecta leading the charge of The Oakland Post for the 2019-2020 school year.

Editor-in-chief of The Post isn’t the only title Tyle holds at Oakland University. In addition to being a full-time student, he is also the marketing assistant for the School of Education and Human Services on campus.

Born and raised in Royal Oak, and now a resident of Clawson, 21-year-old Tyle jokes that he feels like he lives at Oakland because of how much time he spends there.

“Trevor is one of the hardest working individuals I have ever met,” LaDuke said. “He has a lot on his plate with all of his jobs but juggles them all seamlessly.”

Tyle is majoring in journalism, while double minoring in both Spanish language and cinema studies. He incorporates his film studies into his work at The Post by writing movie reviews, which he has done since he was first hired. Writing his reviews has “reignited” the passion he has had for film since watching “Star Wars” with his father when he was younger, a moment which “changed my entire life.”

Tyle joined The Post in early 2017 as a staff reporter under the recommendation of one of his professors, Dr. Chiaoning Su.

“I didn’t know a lot of the things journalists probably should know, but I quickly found my way,” Tyle said of his early days working at The Post. “I’m grateful that I had people who believed in me and helped me get where I needed to be, though. I couldn’t have made it this far on my own.”

After he began writing stories, he was soon promoted to a reporter. He eventually applied for and took over as campus editor, then life and arts editor — all while still writing stories and movie reviews.

At the end of his junior year, Tyle began the application process for editor-in-chief.

“It just felt like I needed to do it for myself and for the staff of The Post,” he said. “I had a lot of ideas I wanted to implement there.”

After barely two months in the position and three publications under his belt this year, Tyle has already begun turning some of his many ideas for The Post into reality.

One of the most impactful changes he hopes to enact is making The Post’s website compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), meaning web content is accessible to everyone, including those with auditory and visual disabilities.

“Working with Trevor has been fantastic — he’s compassionate, empathetic and he cares about what’s going on in our lives,” Valley said. “Compassion is the perfect word to describe him and what he does.”

Tyle hopes he can have a hand in lasting change and making his mark on The Post in his year as editor-in-chief.

“I want to create a publication that has a positive effect on both the university and the community,” he said. “I’ve only got a year to do it, so it’s time to get to work.”