On Monday and Tuesday nights, while the most of the Cabrini campus is sleeping, the Loquitur editorial staff is usually just finishing their 12 hour day in the newsroom. Then it’s another early morning on Wednesday for a few more hours to put the finishing touches on the paper and send it to print.
Yes, it is a ton of work and everything in your life takes a back seat, but the final product is worth it.
For the past year, I have been the editor in chief of the Loquitur. It has been my greatest challenge and the most rewarding thing I have ever done. I am the one behind some major decisions the paper made this year and the weekly editorial.
Loquitur has showcased some hard-hitting issues on its front page this year. From the war in Iraq to governance changes to global warming to the academic split. We also became advocates for Fair Trade and the genocide in Darfur, which resulted in awareness on campus.
There were some strong opinions among our staff about these issues and they were exhibited in our editorials and opinion section. We caught a lot of heat for bringing certain issues to light, but I can confidently say, we don’t regret a single thing.
Our staff changed the look and content of the Loquitur in hopes of brining in more readership and responses and we did just that.
A global warming debate went on in perspectives for weeks and we received letters on a range of topics from current students, alumni and outside community members.
There was always a buzz on campus about something we printed and we knew we had accomplished our goal; people were reading.
A few weeks ago, Loquitur won second place out of 140 daily and weekly papers for best overall newspaper in the Society of Collegiate Journalist’s national competition. It was a honor that meant a tremendous amount us, both personally and professionally.
Whether you love us or hate us, the Loquitur editors and reporters are some of the hardest working people on campus. The work never stops, because well, the news never does.
You hope as a journalist your writing can make a difference and when it does, it is a great feeling. And as a leader, when you see your staff’s work being recognized, nothing could be more rewarding.
This is my thank you to my staff. Thank you for all the long hours, tireless work and dedication to getting the story out there. I could not have asked for a better team to be a part of.
As a staff, we made our mistakes and learned from them. They were probably our greatest teachers. Experience is what teaches you and my experience with the Loquitur taught me more than I could have learned in any classroom.
Not everyone is going to like what you print but we learned as a staff that as long as you have pride in what you do, you’ll never regret it.
