I used to think in black and white. I had strong opinions, a clear sense of what is right and the stubborn belief that my side was the correct side. Now, as I am getting ready to graduate, I am less sure of what I think. I am more reluctant to play the arbiter of good and bad. And I take pride in my ability to understand perspectives on many sides of an issue. This growth — or devolution, depending on who you ask — is, in part, due to my time with The Cavalier Daily.
I started at The Cavalier Daily in the spring of my first year. I was accepted to the newspaper’s opinion section after writing a sample op-ed about roommate selection in first-year dorms. My take was that the University should prohibit first-years from selecting their own roommates, and instead implement a roommate matching process similar to what is done at Duke or Yale.
I remember writing this op-ed next to my own first-year roommate and best friend, Simon Anderson. There I was, a beneficiary of the freedom to pick my own roommate, writing about how future University students should be stripped of the same opportunity. Simon was quick to point out the tension between our successful pairing and the stance I was taking in my application piece — but, for some reason, that tension didn’t bother me. Something about the novel process of carefully crafting a position forced me to find comfort in the gray space between contradictory convictions.
It was true that I loved living with Simon. It was also true that I thought the University could build bridges between diverse groups of students by seizing control of the roommate selection process. I felt those two truths could be reconciled. And, though I did not know it at the time, that sample op-ed inaugurated the perpetual project of reconciling conflicting truths that defined my career as a journalist at The Cavalier Daily.
In my first role at the newspaper, I wrote a biweekly opinion column on student self-governance, at least that is what my job description entailed. In practice, I mostly wrote about the need to reform the University's single sanction honor system. I was, and still am, a firm believer in the value of being honorable, but I also believe in the importance of restorative justice. These were the two truths which anchored my opinion journalism about the Honor Committee — and with each piece I published, I attempted to demonstrate that these truths could be reconciled.
This process of putting pen to paper, metaphorically of course, deepened my appreciation for the University. It also heightened my awareness of the many ways in which the University continues to fall short. The Cavalier Daily gave me a community of people dedicated to squaring this circle. My peers and I used this newspaper to reconcile our love for the University with our fervent belief that administrators must continue to find creative ways to serve the very students this school was designed to exclude.
This progress-oriented ethos defined my tenure as executive editor, and later as editor-in-chief. During my two years in leadership, we platformed marginalized perspectives, held our leaders accountable and defended the ideals of free inquiry and expression — the bedrock of any genuine academic institution. Working as a student journalist and leading The Cavalier Daily was my way of understanding the complexities of this space — a place that inspires deep affection in many of us, even as it continues to frustrate, alienate and fail others. Doing journalism, especially in difficult times, was my way of loving, learning and pushing this place to be the best it can be.
Given the impact The Cavalier Daily has had on me, I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank some of the people who made this journey possible. First, thank you Simon for putting up with my incessant contradictions since the day we arrived on Grounds. Thank you to Eva Surovell for seeing something in me that I myself did not see. Thank you Ava MacBlane, Ava Proehl, Lexi Baker and Evan Crowne for being the kind of friends who inspire me to dream big, and the kind of leaders who showed me what big dreams look like.
To my managing board — Charlie, Grace, Honor and Naima — thank you for keeping me sane during an insane year. I may not be the best at showing it, but my love for each of you runs deeper than you all know. I am so proud of what we accomplished together, but I am more proud to have found friends as amazing as you all. Jake Adler, thank you for being a thought partner in nearly all my intellectual endeavors — the only person with crazier takes than me is you. And, lastly, to Modern Friendship — Stepheney, Kevin, James, Emma and Tommy — thank you for reminding me how to live life once I was done with The Cavalier Daily. You all are the best possible reminder that it is never too late to make life-long friends.
Thinking about the final words I’ll place in the pages of this newspaper, I want to offer unsolicited advice to the 136th Managing Board, current staffers and any future students who will call our moldy office in the Newcomb basement home. Each of you must learn to walk and chew gum at the same time — to recognize our community’s shortcomings without losing sight of its promise. Student journalism, and maybe even life more generally, is about holding space for multiple conflicting truths. The University is a deeply flawed place, but it is also worthy of our love and admiration. Fight for our school — defend its ideals, challenge it, ask for what you need and make room for those who have so far been excluded. Use this newspaper as your weapon of choice, and, in the end, the words you write will light the path towards a better University.
Nathan Onibudo was the editor-in-chief for The Cavalier Daily’s 135th term, the executive editor for its 134th term and an opinion columnist during its 133rd term.
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