I sit here writing this editorial after finishing the production of my 50th issue of Arthur. What an amazing feeling.
Though I feel happy and fulfilled, I am so sad that my time as editor is over. I decided not to run for a third term because I wanted to give someone else the opportunity. This job has been incredibly fulfilling and gave me invaluable experience, but now it is time to hand it over to someone else.
I am so happy to know the paper will be in the hands of one of Arthur’s best writers and my current co-editor. Pat has been a great partner and I feel like we brought out the best in each other this year. Not only did we stay together as a team (in recent years, most Arthur editorial teams have experienced resignations), but we rocked it!
When I ran for editor, I was just finishing my second year of university. I’m pretty sure everyone thought I was crazy. I was one of the youngest writers on staff and the editor position was a full-time job. How could a full-time student run a newspaper? (Only smart and trendy Trent grads with cool haircuts could do it!)
To me it didn’t matter. I knew I could do it and I wanted to because I had a vision for Arthur. I wanted it to be more Trent and Peterborough focused, I wanted more sports, pop culture, and arts, and I wanted it to reflect the student population more accurately.
If Arthur attempted a national or international story (which I wanted to minimize greatly), I wanted it to focus on the issue from a local perspective, by talking to a Trent professor for example. I wanted to highlight and celebrate the work that Trent students and faculty members were doing. I wanted to include different student voices and thus didn’t want to censor and exclude opinions which I did not agree with.
I wanted to hear about events happening at Trent and downtown before they happened. I wanted to try to connect Trent students with Peterborough more by showcasing the downtown’s rich culture. I wanted more people to care about the newspaper. I wanted them to read it and look forward to reading it.
I feel confident in saying that I fulfilled my objectives. And I’m not being cocky. Aristotle said as long as it’s true, it’s not bragging; in fact, he even said that it was a virtue to acknowledge one’s success. I don’t agree with Aristotle on everything, but I like what he says about that.
What are some of the hard facts? I hired a weekly sports writer, introduced weekly sudoku puzzles, the Local Tunes column featuring local musicians, the Street Style column, student research spotlights, and worked to include more diverse groups of students in the newspaper. I loved envisioning and putting together full cover photos, something which I did a lot more of this year (with many thanks to Andrew Tan).
I changed the newspaper’s layout to ensure consistency; every week I wanted people to expect campus news at the front of the paper, followed by campus sports, local news, etc. I also worked to make the paper look more aesthetically pleasing.
When I was elected, I was told this was a soul-sucking job and that I wouldn’t be so enthusiastic once I actually started working. Well, it was really tough but I felt optimistic the whole way through. I loved being editor, and these last two years of my life have been the best by far.
Do I have any regrets? It’s hard not to. I wish I somehow squeezed Lady Gaga in the newspaper at least once. I really do. Damn it, Sara!
I’d like to thank all of Arthur’s devoted staff and volunteers over the past two years. You made my visions come true and you’re the reason people read the newspaper. I feel so blessed to have worked with so many wonderful people. I am also very grateful for this job because in trying to reach out to different student groups, I ended up meeting even more people and getting involved in ways I never thought I would.
I’m graduating this spring and this editorial just made me cry. So long, Arthur.
