I have a lot of thank yous after my time at The Maroon-News. I’ve always had a love for journalism, but I didn’t anticipate how it would shape my time at Colgate. I wasn’t one of the Pre-Orientation students. I only started to get involved during the second semester of my freshman year. But since then, and especially this year, The Maroon-News has been a really important aspect of my life at Colgate. So without further ado….

Thank you to The Maroon-News for asking me to engage with Hamilton. Not Colgate, but the entire Hamilton community. We’ve all heard about “The Colgate Bubble.” Studying abroad helps some students break out of it. COVE work helps others. For me, it was The Maroon-News. My work as News Editor asked me to consider and engage with the relationship between Colgate and Hamilton in new ways. How the actions of Colgate students directly impact families living in Hamilton, both positively and negatively. I’ve received e-mails from members of the Hamilton community both asking for a story to be covered, and commenting on articles I have written. These e-mails were so meaningful to me. Not only did they show me that my work had been read, they helped me to consider the Colgate-Hamilton relationship in terms of what needs to be covered, and whose voices weren’t being heard. I think the issues of Hamilton as a whole are often not given enough of a platform to reach Colgate students. Thank you to the Hamilton community members who have reached out to The Maroon-News!

Thank you for making me go to lectures. There are so many events I would have missed had I not covered them for the newspaper.We have incredible speakers on campus every single month. This is something I’m going to miss when I graduate. The Maroon-News made me aware of all events on campus, and it made me speak with new students and professors to get quotes and ask questions. Thank you for teaching me how to handle rejection, and get over some of my social anxiety of approaching strangers. 

While I have the chance, in the middle of the thank yous, I have two pieces of advice from my time as News Editor. 

The first: If you say something, you should stand by it. Especially if you say that something on a public forum like social media, or send it via mass e-mail. These platforms are not private. I think it’s ironic that people will post almost-nudes on their Finstas, but don’t want their words run in the student newspaper. Think about your words. Think about whether you’re willing to stand by them. Be proud of your words, or at the very least, don’t be ashamed of having them repeated. 

The second: Use the Commentary section! People love to complain about Colgate. I have complained about Colgate. This is the exact reason that the Commentary section was invented. Maybe it’s more satisfying to write an angry Facebook status. Do that too. But if you want your argument to reach arguably an even larger audience, including the administration, the alums, professors and parents… We have created this platform for you. A direct route to all these people. Use it. Use your voice!

Ok, this is all sounding very didactic, so let me end on a positive note. 

Thank you, The Maroon-News,  for teaching me persistence and dedication in new ways. Thank you for giving myself and others a voice. Thank you for making me a better writer, leader and member of the Colgate community.

Contact Sarah Anderson at [email protected].