Thanks for the memories

By Luara Luettger
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

As we get to the end of this semester, I’ve begun to reflect a lot on how this year has been down here in the Stylus office, or as we call it, the dungeon. This year was crazy, with an almost totally new staff, re-designs and threatened lawsuits. We somehow made it through it all without killing each other, though I’m really not quite sure how.

Despite that, I’ve learned more than I ever imagined I would — about myself, the people with whom I work and what it means to be “the boss.” I could have never done it alone though; without the rest of the staff there would have been no paper. So I’ve decided to use my last column as Editor-in-Chief to say thank you to everyone who made my job a little easier and pointed me in the right direction:

My mom and dad — I know, cheesy, but they put up with it all. Anytime I didn’t know what was going on or thought I might freak out over something, they listened to me vent on the phone before helping me assess the situation. They helped me realize this was a chance for me to grow, and hopefully they see that I have. They also let me make fun of them in quite a few of my columns. It was all in good fun though.

My roommates — They were next in line when I had some sort of issue that I couldn’t handle. They visited me in my office, brought me special treats and never yelled when I got back at 2 a.m. or later after production Mondays. They also helped me brainstorm column ideas and at least pretended to pick up the paper every week.

Cav — Without our advisor, we wouldn’t have the amazing software we use to make our papers. Our computers would also probably crash a lot more often, again resulting in fewer papers. He also keeps us sane when people come snooping, looking for lawsuits. Besides this, he has the best stories in the whole world.

Ann and Drew — Our business manager, Ann, and advertising manager, Drew, handled all the advertisements for this year. All we had to do was find them and plop them on the pages. Ann also handled all our transactions and has for years. Without her, I would have been starting from scratch while scratching my head.

Rachel — Our executive editor kept me sane all year long, and was always willing to have a ten-minute debate over some grammar issue before one of us looked it up. The star chart Rachel implemented in the beginning of the year always gave me an ego boost, because she and I always got the most stars, and her advice columns always made me laugh. I’m sad to say Rachel’s graduating, but she’s also getting married and moving to California, so at least I’ll have somewhere nice to vacation.

Amanda — She and Rachel were the only ones who were here with me year before this one. Without Amanda, the design would have taken longer to change, and would but we have our inflatable boxing gloves, which have provided stress relief when it gets too late. I also wouldn’t be getting an awesome Swiss Army knife from her dad without her.

The other section editors — For implementing the new design (even when they hated it), making all the corrections (even if they didn’t want to) and having the pages out before the copy editors even got in here, big, big thanks. If the pages hadn’t been out so early, we’d have had much longer nights, and without the extra hours they put in, the paper wouldn’t have looked nearly as good. I’d also like to thank Jim for getting a flashlight when the power went out, Allison for setting the office on fire, and Chelsea for including my suggestions in her “Top 5.”

Copy Editors — Thanks for talking. Although we might have yelled at them numerous times to “Get back to work NOW,” their conversations were entertaining, and they got Cav to tell quite a few good stories. Thanks also for writing stories and getting the pages edited quickly. Oh, and thanks to them, my office is covered in pictures, drawn with crayons. I’d also like to thank Angela for being obsessed with Britney Spears, Kate for covering every dance, Sarah for her beautiful handwriting and Brighid for her cute laugh.

The communications department — The support that the communications department has shown this year for The Stylus has amazed me. Not only have we been offered constructive criticism, but many of the classes I’ve taken this year have directly addressed some of the tougher issues we’ve covered in The Stylus. All of my professors have made me reevaluate how I approach issues and what it means for readership. They’ve also given me a lot of ideas for the paper and listened when I’ve had any problems.

BSG — I know, we’re not supposed to be friends or something, and as much as we may have poked fun at them, they really did help us (most of the time), giving us most of the information we needed. They also understood we have deadlines, and were willing to meet with us or give us quotes so we could write our stories.

Campus Life — Just like BSG, the people who work in this department were always willing to help us out and make sure they did before our deadline. They were especially helpful when we were trying to cover the Polar Plunge event.

The Administration at Brockport — President Halstead and Vice President Wilson, along with everyone else who works in the Allen Administration Building have supported us the whole year. They’ve met with us to discuss what they do and don’t like, and have always gotten back to us when we needed information.

University Police — They’re still working on the case of the missing Styluses, and hopefully it will yield results. They’ve also been great with the police blotter every week, which we know is many readers’ favorite.

I’d also like to thank every reader and person who has ever taken the time to respond to something about The Stylus. We love feedback, good or bad, and it’s what makes us evaluate what we’re doing with the paper and what we want to achieve. I would not have learned half as much about journalism as I did if I didn’t get the phone calls telling me something’s wildly inappropriate, is too taboo for a newspaper, or sometimes, praising us for covering events and making progress.

Next year, I’ll be turning over the reigns to our Lifestyles Editor, Allison Kowalski. I’m positive she’ll do a great job and build on everything we’ve started this year. I’ll be here to help as a contributing editor, but I doubt she’ll need it.

So with that, I’m done, and now I’m signing off. Over and out.

Editorial: The Final Grades

Luettger: Thanks for the memories

Seef: Some advice for next year's student government

Craddock: 'Donna Martin Graduates'

Jennings: Germs multiply on keyboards

Student studies abroad in 'bloody' Brockport

Boron: Freshman year filled with memories

Letter from the Editor