The times, they are a-changin'
Megan McClure
Issue date: 5/1/08 Section: Opinion
All year, we've heard the same word over and over again: change. Change, change, change.
In this election year, politicians keep talking about change. Changes in our climate have everyone "going green." Thanks to gas prices and the cost of living, none of us have any change to spare.
The university itself is experiencing serious changes. Our generation's time at SIUE has been defined by the 50th anniversary and upcoming transition to Division I athletics. Facilities Management's 25-year plan calls for significant changes in the years ahead, as the university continues to develop into a residential campus. The SIUE School of Pharmacy will soon graduate its first-ever class of pharmacists. The list of changes goes on.
For me personally, 2008 is a year of serious changes. After this semester is through, I'm out. In fact, thanks to an internship and a semester abroad, I won't even be back on the Edwardsville campus until next spring. This is a big switch, since I haven't been away from SIUE for more than a few weeks since 2005.
What feels even stranger, from a personal standpoint, is that this is my last regular edition of the Alestle. After one year on copy desk and two years as editor in chief, it's time for me to pass the torch - or the paper, as the case may be.
Farewell columns are, by nature, predictable and sappy. For your sake and mine, I'll save the "thank-you"s for the staff meeting and keep the clichés to a minimum. (Figured I'd put the torch-passing reference out there before swearing off clichés for the rest of the column.)
I have spent nearly every Monday and Wednesday of the past three years in the newsroom, working in some capacity on the next issue of the paper. After 170 or so production days - plus a countless number of off-days - it's safe to say the Alestle has defined my college experience.
As a student journalist, I've had an opportunity to experience a side of the university that typically goes unseen by most students. Seemingly ordinary evenings have gone into a tailspin thanks to cookie torture incidents and runaway gunmen. I have spoken with geophysicists at five in the morning and have nearly been locked in the Morris University Center on multiple occasions. Not every day is characterized by a breaking news item, but with coworkers like these, even the most mundane of days are a memorable experience.
In short, it's been fun.
This isn't so much of a "goodbye" as it is a "see you later." The paper isn't going anywhere; the faces are just changing a bit.
In this election year, politicians keep talking about change. Changes in our climate have everyone "going green." Thanks to gas prices and the cost of living, none of us have any change to spare.
The university itself is experiencing serious changes. Our generation's time at SIUE has been defined by the 50th anniversary and upcoming transition to Division I athletics. Facilities Management's 25-year plan calls for significant changes in the years ahead, as the university continues to develop into a residential campus. The SIUE School of Pharmacy will soon graduate its first-ever class of pharmacists. The list of changes goes on.
For me personally, 2008 is a year of serious changes. After this semester is through, I'm out. In fact, thanks to an internship and a semester abroad, I won't even be back on the Edwardsville campus until next spring. This is a big switch, since I haven't been away from SIUE for more than a few weeks since 2005.
What feels even stranger, from a personal standpoint, is that this is my last regular edition of the Alestle. After one year on copy desk and two years as editor in chief, it's time for me to pass the torch - or the paper, as the case may be.
Farewell columns are, by nature, predictable and sappy. For your sake and mine, I'll save the "thank-you"s for the staff meeting and keep the clichés to a minimum. (Figured I'd put the torch-passing reference out there before swearing off clichés for the rest of the column.)
I have spent nearly every Monday and Wednesday of the past three years in the newsroom, working in some capacity on the next issue of the paper. After 170 or so production days - plus a countless number of off-days - it's safe to say the Alestle has defined my college experience.
As a student journalist, I've had an opportunity to experience a side of the university that typically goes unseen by most students. Seemingly ordinary evenings have gone into a tailspin thanks to cookie torture incidents and runaway gunmen. I have spoken with geophysicists at five in the morning and have nearly been locked in the Morris University Center on multiple occasions. Not every day is characterized by a breaking news item, but with coworkers like these, even the most mundane of days are a memorable experience.
In short, it's been fun.
This isn't so much of a "goodbye" as it is a "see you later." The paper isn't going anywhere; the faces are just changing a bit.
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