The end of my time with The Maroon-News brings with it a variety of sentiments. Some might just be associated with the end of my time in college and having pangs of nostalgia hit. Others, however, are related specifically to culminating my college-journalism career. As I mentioned in my final Editor’s Column a couple weeks back, The Maroon-News has been the activity I have been involved with the longest in my time at Colgate, starting with the Pre-Orientation program in August of 2011. The fact that I have been a part of ~roughly~ 112 layouts for the oldest college weekly in America is unbelievable. 

I have enjoyed getting to know members of the staff over the last four years, training students younger than myself and

transitioning from a staff writer to an assistant editor to a section editor to senior staff. I am proud of the work that we have done in my time on the paper, and I am thrilled to have witnessed important changes and advancements that The Maroon-News has made.

While college newspapers are not extinct by any means, their futures have uncertainty. It was a problem that we at The Maroon-News faced in the light of the 21^st century, where so much news is online, whether or not the school found it worthwhile to allocate our organization adequate funding at times, or whether we were driving in enough advertising revenue. Maybe it’s just me being a helpless-romantic for print journalism, but I find it so important to tangibly have a newspaper that could be passed between peers as a way to translate information and engage the community in important dialogue. Whether it was friends laughing at the Blotter in Frank over lunch, or seeing students take a break from their own work in the library to read the latest articles, I was proud to see the Colgate community continuously bring The Maroon-News into their day-to-day lives at school.

Though not all moments while working on The Maroon-News were pristine, I feel that there should be no regrets, just lessons learned. Some of the most memorable instances that stand out to me from my time with the paper have been in more stressful situations or instances of tension on campus, as I feel that they were the moments that the true strength of the students who care about the publication really thrived. I especially feel that this year, when the campus climate was at the forefront of thoughtful conversation and discussion, our publication showcased its abilities. Both our staff writers and student submitters articulately discussed issues of race, gender, sexuality and identity at Colgate, and I was proud to be a part of a student organization that welcomed and encouraged that kind of discussion in print. 

I believe in the importance of the relationship between the newspaper and the Colgate community, and in the importance of student journalism at large. The Maroon-News’ relationship with Colgate students and administrators is one that should be respected and strengthened, and that can only keep happening with the support of everyone on campus who help to enhance our credibility and stature. I know there are so many more voices throughout the community that The Maroon-News has not already shared, and therefore I encourage all students to contemplate writing for us regularly or submitting a commentary piece at some point in their time in college.

Thanks to all for taking the time to read, both this piece and over the last four years.