It’s hard to believe, but the time has finally come to put together my last issue of The Waltonian.
After serving on this paper for the past three-and-a-half years (two-and-a-half as one of the leaders) it’s hard to imagine that this is the last weekend I’ll spend fixing text boxes, rearranging photos and making stories readable.
While there have been numerous times when I’ve wondered why I ever agreed to devote so much time to this activity, especially when some people love to tell me that they don’t read it anyway, I’ve realized it’s what I love and hope to do for the rest of my life.
I honestly don’t know if I would have figured that out if it hadn’t been for The Waltonian.
So thank you, you 12-page biweekly hunk of publication that has stolen countless hours of sleep, for helping me figure out what I want to do with my life.
It’s been an interesting journey, and I’m proud to say that I can write this knowing that this paper has improved significantly every year I’ve been on staff.
One of the biggest improvements has been with photos and graphics. We’ve come a long way, incorporating more high-quality photos and adding other graphic elements to headlines and stories to help improve the overall visual appeal of the paper.
Our stories have also become more student-and campus-focused, highlighting the issues that students want to know about.
This year, we broke numerous big-time stories, including the transition to Gmail, the new community sustainability housing option and, in this issue, the possibility of purchasing part of Valley Forge.
We also completely redesigned the Web site to bring it to the 21st century and added videos to our coverage.
And I’ve heard rumors that last issue’s infamous Walt-Onion edition is arguably the best in recent history. Who knew we were comedians, too?
Hopefully you’ve all enjoyed it—we keep students at the forefront of our minds in everything we do.
We were also able to continue The Waltonian’s string of Keystone Collegiate awards, earning a content and a visual honor this year.
Junior Evan Hewitt earned recognition for his comics last semester and senior Aaron Garvey impressed the judges with his review of the theater department’s play, “Waiting for Godot.”
None of this could have been possible without an immense amount of work and dedication to detail by our entire staff, from our staff writers to our deliberate copy editors.
I am extremely thankful for my fellow senior editors, Katie Doud and Bryon Calawa, for taking on extra responsibilities this year and for their willingness to sacrifice their own time and sleep to make sure we produce a quality paper every time.
We’re passing on the torch to a new staff who will be putting together the final issue of the semester, due out April 28.
A&E editor Chelsea Post will take over the reins as Editor-in-Chief, after three years of experience on staff, learning the ins and outs of the process.
Features editor Choni Selden will step up as the managing editor, sports editor Tony Morisset will move to the Web site and opinions editor Rebecca Coppola will remain in her section, bringing perspectives to different controversies.
The other editor positions will be filled by fresh faces. Emily Cody will take over news while Beth Dahlstrom tackles the features section. Jess Stake will keep the community informed of arts and entertainment news while Chris Nelson will highlight campus sports.
Finally, Olivia Denton will also work on the Web site and Stephanie Knowles will oversee photography and graphics next year.
I won’t lie, guys—creating The Waltonian is a lot of work, but don’t let the “busyness” take over your lives.
Remember to have fun and enjoy your time in college. It’ll all be over before you realize it —believe me, I know.