I’m Rex Santus, one of three new SPLC interns. I’m super excited to be here after spending most of my life in Ohio, where I’m an all-but-graduated student at Kent State University. I’ve also interned at The Plain Dealer, Ohio’s most-circulated newspaper, and The Columbus Dispatch.
As a student reporter with The Daily Kent Stater, I often encountered obstacles while covering our campus’ administration. Interviews with the university president or any member of the Board of Trustees were (extremely) rare, so I quickly learned the importance of public records in my reporting.
Working at The Plain Dealer’s capital bureau, I covered Gov. John Kasich and a slew of other state lawmakers. I spent most of my time immersed in tax policy, specifically the governor’s controversial plan to cut income tax while broadening the sales tax. I wrote about science and later education while at The Columbus Dispatch, so my reporting’s kind of been all over the place.
I’m very passionate about free-expression rights, and I’m thrilled to be working for an organization that’s all about greater transparency on high school and college campuses. I also enjoy Dustin Hoffman movies and French toast. You can reach me by email at rsantus@splc.org, or by calling 703-807-1904 ext. 119. Also, if you’d like to follow me on Twitter: @rexsantus