After two-plus years in the newspaper office and 20 issues in charge of The Student alongside my partner and co-editor in chief, Jingwen Zhang, I have overseen my last issue with the newspaper. Over the last nine months, we have reported on the college’s selection of its new mascot, the Mammoth, covered campus responses to a divisive U.S. President and continued communicating the most pressing needs of the college community to its constituents. The women’s basketball team won a national championship, and the paper expanded its online presence considerably on Facebook and other platforms.
In addition, Jingwen, our publication team (Emily Ratte, Tia Robinson and Mark Nathan) and I have negotiated an agreement with the AAS and the Office of Student Activities to place our paper on sound financial footing. This decision ends our paper’s tradition of financial independence, a decision we do not take lightly. However, I am proud of our ability to pass off a financially stable newspaper to our successors and the hard work that has made this possible.
As a first-year, I wandered into the newspaper intro meeting with no previous experience and a desire to simply write a bit about sports. Now I leave with a deep appreciation of student journalism and extensive first-hand knowledge of some of the Amherst community’s most pressing concerns.
For this, I want to thank the people who have made the newspaper office such a special place for me. Lauren Tuiskula, my predecessor, first brought me into the office and showed me the ropes as a sports editor before providing critical advice throughout my years on the paper. Sophie Murguia demonstrated the incredible dedication and attention to detail that working for The Student entails. My fellow editors made the office a welcoming environment for me to spend my Tuesday nights. During my time as editor in chief, they did the legwork to continue printing interesting, provocative articles. Finally, Jingwen proved a critical companion throughout the past few months.
To you, our readers, I would also like to thank you. Ultimately, you are the people who make the job worth it. Nothing brought me more pleasure over the past few months than simply seeing someone pick up a paper and read. In the age of the Internet, print media, including some of the country’s most popular newspapers, has struggled to stay afloat. With fewer readers, ad revenue has dropped. The Internet has provided individuals an extraordinary outlet to consume media freely, but the informal nature of the medium has also brought down some of the bars that hold reporting to a high standard.
Thus, I urge all of you to continue reading The Amherst Student. I have seen so many writers, editors and staff publish extraordinary content in this paper. The Student provides an outlet for voices of any conviction to share their concerns with the college community, while holding these voices to a standard that ensures their accuracy and ongoing pertinence. Jingwen will continue to lead a fantastic team, while former sports editor Nate Quigley will join her as editor in chief. Under their stewardship, I will continue to read The Student weekly for updates on college community news. I hope you will too.
