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The Cavalier Daily
Serving the University Community Since 1890
Opinion

Not now, honey, I'm on deadline

AT LEAST there never was a dull moment.

Whether I was wiring my modem to a pay phone to file an election night story from Texas, escaping from the office to go sledding on dining hall trays, experiencing the thrill of being named one of the best college newspapers in the nation or getting my own office door slammed in my face and blue pens thrown at me, working at The Cavalier Daily was a priceless education.

In nearly four years at the CD, I've discovered that when you work more than 60 hours a week without pay, carry a full course load, manage your peers and still love your job, you've chosen the right profession.

I turned down one of the top-ranked journalism schools to come to the University, and what I found here instead was a cluttered, windowless place in the basement of Newcomb Hall that tested the limits of who I am and pushed me farther than I ever thought possible. From the first week of first year when I walked down those stairs, The Cavalier Daily has not only been my J-School, my frat and my proud stomping grounds, but my home as well.

When I took down my nameplate and cleaned out my office this week, watching the new staff move in to that space was gut-wrenching. I felt as though the place I'd given my heart and soul to was giving me the shoulder. It wasn't mine any more. It was theirs. I felt like I was being evicted. I felt like a stranger.

For the first time, I realized the CD is a cold abstract that moves onward and upward with or without you, no matter how much you've sweated and cried over it, no matter how much of yourself you've poured in. It's a cruel truth, and for a while, I admit, I was bitter.

But not for long. I have come to understand that this newspaper does not live in the intangible ideals we struggle to uphold or the proud achievements we manage to chalk up, though I'm happy to say we've chalked up quite a few in my time. It is not even hiding in the final product we put out every day. Fundamentally, The Cavalier Daily always has been and always will be about the people who read it, support it and run it day after day. So though it's not easy for me to put into words what this newspaper has meant to me, it's appropriate, I think, that I try to do it by thanking all of you.

Carol Wood and Bill Fishback, thank you both for the advice, recommendation letters and lunches. You helped me find the confidence and courage to pursue my crazy dreams of newspaper glory. You are the University's true journalism deans and you will be eternal friends of The Cav Daily. I can't imagine more caring and classy mentors. Look after all my kids for me.

John Sullivan and Bill Quandt, thank you for respecting and encouraging the work I did not only for your classes, which were the best I took at the University, but also the work I did for the newspaper. It's not every professor who realizes the hours we put in down in the basement may not always produce a perfect product (or good grades), but they are an integral part of our education and a heartfelt service to the University community. You both have always been there for me and countless other stressed-out CD staffers, inspiring us with your extraordinary teaching and your infinite understanding.

To my JB, thank you for all the great times - the hugs, the laughter, the yelling, the tears, the camaraderie, the drunken table dancing. Time and again you guys blew me away with an incredible page, picture or story. I know how much you all gave to the paper over the last year and I can only say, wow, I hope you realize how much you have achieved and how very far your have brought the CD.

To graduating fourth year JBers: Reedy, you live and breathe the newspaper and are one of the last great Sportos. You deserve The Post internship more than anybody I know. Go show that uppity paper in D.C. the best The Cav Daily has to offer. Dan, you're the man. This newspaper (and I) would have collapsed without you.

Doug, as you know, you're really going places, it's just a matter of exactly where and how fast. The A&E page will never be the same without you.

Alexis and Nicole, thanks for the cosmopolitans and girl talk. You're good friends and lovely copy nerds.

Rakesh, thank you for making me so proud. Few people will ever really know how deeply you love this paper. I do and I'm so glad you're back home.

Katie Dalton, thank you for your grace and patience. You're a kick-ass editor and no-nonsense woman who demands respect and knows what she wants. I'm happier than you can imagine that you've decided you want to stay in the basement. The newspaper needs you.

Margaret Chipowsky, what can I say, we've just about said it all over the last two years. You were a great challenge for me (I'm still licking my wounds from our late-night smackdowns), you were a great news editor (just look at your amazing associates now) and you will always be a great friend to so many of us (and, ahem, the undisputed CD gossip queen). There will be a huge personality vacuum in the basement when you walk down the Lawn. Maybe I'll manage to get raving drunk for you before it's all over. Then you can support me when you're a rich lawyer and I'm a starving, alcoholic journalist, since it will, of course, be your fault, as usual.

Ed Hock, I couldn't have asked for a better AME. Thank you for caring about this newspaper so much and for bringing your whole heart to work every day. Thank you for the dance, for introducing us to Bob and for letting me rely on your strength and judgment down in the trenches. You are such a classy guy. And hey, do you think you could get me a job? I hear The Pilot's a pretty damn fine organization.

Nicola, so few things go unsaid between us two, but there just aren't words for this. So I'll try, but I know I won't be able to say everything I feel. Nic, there's nobody at this University I trust and respect more. Quite simply, you are the reason I made it through the last three and a half years with both my sanity and my love for the CD intact. It's just my humble opinion, but I think you're probably the best all-around journalist, writer, editor and overall compassionate person this newspaper has ever seen. I mean it with all my heart. I'm so lucky to know you and I'm honored to launch my journalism career by your side.

And now my MB boys ... It's a rare combination of individuals who could make it through that bloodbath last February and come together over the next year to set this paper up to be the best it's ever been. We did it, though. I'm so proud to have served with you and I've learned so much in the process.

Brian, you took on a hard, thankless job and never gave up on yourself or on us. Following your example of selfless love for the CD and the people who work here helped me get through some of the toughest times.

Michael, of course you would have made a great ME, I always knew that. But you were a great OM because you threw yourself completely into the job and gave it everything you had. The changes you made during your term will leave a lasting legacy at the paper. Thanks for sharing office space, a game of Trivial Pursuit, bitching sessions about our JB and English major angst.

Tom, I have tremendous respect for you and the work you have done this past year. I can only guess at what it has cost you, but the future of this organization will benefit from your leadership for years to come. Thank you for trusting me when I asked for your support and for telling me what I needed to hear, even when I didn't want to listen. You should be incredibly proud of what you've helped this board accomplish.

John A. Clark, you're insane. The sacrifices you've made for the newspaper and the University community are not to be believed. I don't think anybody else would be capable of pulling this off, but I long ago learned never to underestimate my old cops and courts reporter. You always got the job done with style and you will never cease to impress me. Best of luck. I know you'll do great things. I hope this staff appreciates the treasure they have in you.

Sam Le, thank you so much for being insane enough to want my job. There's no greater compliment, especially coming from someone I respect as much as I respect you. You are a natural leader and I feel so confident leaving this newspaper and its staff in your hands. Enjoy it.

Nancy Youssef, Mandy Biles, Jay Conti, Lauren Shepherd and Katie Lane, thanks to all of you for introducing me to the CD, sucking me in with the sheer force of your own devotion and inspiring me with your success. I saw your energy and passion and I yearned to be a part of it. The encouragement and advice I got from you carried me through from the first day I walked into the newsroom to the day I cleaned out my office. You are the reasons I kept coming back, even after you went your separate ways.

Meg Scheu, you were a pleasure to work with and a joy to know. I couldn't have done it without you. No, really, the associates would have killed me. But just look at them now! We certainly are ridiculously proud moms, aren't we?

To the 110th, especially Mike G., Emily and Dan, you guys were a hard act to follow. You really raised the bar both professionally and emotionally. Thank you for taking one of the hardest moments of my life and making it one of the best. You helped me realize the newspaper needed me right when I needed the newspaper the most and I thought I felt it slipping away.

To my family, thank you for your unconditional support and love. Everything I am, everything I've achieved here has its roots in all of you.

David Hanlon, thank you for filling my days with music and love. I told you once I always wanted you in my life and I'll say it again, as many times as it takes. Best friends forever.

To the 112th MB and staff, each one of you is embarking on one of the most challenging and rewarding years you will ever experience. I can't imagine a stronger, more talented group to take the newspaper to the next level and I can't wait to see what you do with it. You are the dream team. Remember to sleep a little and try to make it to class, but above all, get ready to have the time of your lives.

Finally, to the readers: Thank you for being the 10,000-plus reasons behind all of this. I hope you will pick up The Cavalier Daily knowing that a staff of 150 students toiled and bled its collective heart into every inch of newsprint. And if you ever wander down into the bowels of Newcomb and you feel like watching little miracles unfold every day as people stretch themselves, struggling at their very worst and their very best for each other, get on board with this crazy dysfunctional family. Whatever else the experience is, it's absolutely real, deeply meaningful, and utterly unforgettable, and if you let it, it will change you forever.

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