As the semester winds down, so concludes this volume of the Statesman.
It was an eventful year for us. The first black president of our nation was elected before our eyes; within our community, a new Stony Brook president has been confirmed. From breaking news to controversial editorials, we hope that we were able to enrich and inform the campus community of all that has happened and to provide a little entertainment for our loyal readers.
From the pipe leak that left many residents without heat and water in Roosevelt Quad, to the budget cuts affecting the entire university or the startling loss of a campus member, our goal was to keep you informed. And I think we succeeded.
Like many college newspapers with high turnover rates, many of our senior editors are graduating with new members filling their shoes. For some of us, completing this last issue is bittersweet. No more late nights that stretch to dawn, no more frantic phone calls as we rush to meet our deadlines. And at the same time, gone will be the days when we celebrated the production of the paper; with all the blood, sweat, tears and laughter that accompanied each page.
And after three years and 156 issues, I finally say goodbye. Serving as EIC for the last year and a half was both hard work and lots of fun. At the end of the day, I hope I was able to help deliver news that matters in a compelling way. And I would like to thank the campus community for continuing to follow us as the semesters go by.
Just recently, the Statesman received two awards for the New York Press Association ‘s 2008 Better Newspaper Contest, which is open to colleges and universities across the state. This year, 14 colleges submitted 186 entries in eight categories.
Two of our current members, and two former writers, also received awards from the Stony Brook’s School of Journalism, winning an award in every category.
Much more broadly than winning these few awards, the staff as a whole has done an excellent job in keeping to our ideals while covering the campus. While many of us are leaving – about half of our senior staff including Emily Gover (our wiz copy editor) Gene Morris (the king of sports) Zachary Kurtz (our favorite opinions editor) and myself – the Statesman will not change.
We have a very capable group of editors next semester, led by Bradley Donaldson, who will advance the paper and support the community.
Although I am sad about leaving the paper while excited about entering the post-college world, I rest assured that the Statesman will continue our mission, which is to provide breaking news, fun features in our arts and entertainment section and up-to-the-minute coverage of campus sports.
