End of the Line

A few weeks ago, I was convinced my senior thesis paper would be the most difficult thing I’d write in college. I was wrong. It’s this editorial, which pales in comparison by word count and complexity, but means saying goodbye to my favorite group of people on campus and the defining part of my college experience. And goodbyes, as we all know, are hard.

Teacher, can I write another thesis paper instead?

Kidding. After four years at the Exponent, I’m penning my initials this Wednesday evening for the very last time on the grainy, black and white pages we proof the paper with every week. It’s time for me to graduate from MSU.

As I reflect on my time at the paper, I mostly feel overwhelmingly lucky to have found a place among such a talented, curious group of students — students who remain dedicated through thick and thin to publishing a paper that punches above its weight and delivers award-winning independent journalism for students.

Over the last couple years, the Exponent has vastly expanded its online reach and even added to its digital footprint an email newsletter. The paper has produced in-depth reporting about more stories that matter to students. It’s even been undergoing a sleek re-design, in case you haven’t noticed.

On top of those endeavors, the Exponent staff has continued to do what it does best: inform, connect and empower students. Our reporting, in my not-so-humble opinion, includes coverage of campus, municipal and state governments, a tool that empowers students to understand and engage with their elected representatives and governing bodies. It includes stories that highlight campus resources for mental and physical health, housing, food and more, to help students be aware of and access the support they need to succeed at MSU. It’s a point of connection for students to get involved with clubs, sports and events on campus and in our community. Through our opinion pages and reporting, the Exponent is a platform for student expression. We create guides for outdoor recreation and entertainment that help students tap into their community. We provide an advertising platform for student organizations and local businesses to boost their reach. And, among other services, we inform students about important issues on campus by piercing through misinformation, digging into the facts of the matter first hand, and writing about what’s transpired as incisively, accurately and fairly as possible.

For that work, the Exponent was named a finalist in the Associated Collegiate Press’s 2022 Newspaper Pacemaker competition, considered one of the most prestigious in collegiate journalism.

This entire enterprise is run by students, for students — at a school with no journalism program. Oftentimes the paper comes together between classes and second jobs. The tenacity and ingenuity required to make this newspaper happen is nothing short of extraordinary, and I am immensely proud simply to count as company the students who craft it, and who are the driving force behind the paper’s service and achievements. I’ll miss them more than I can describe.

I also count myself lucky to have been afforded the chance to serve in a student leadership position on campus. I have grown more as a person, journalist and leader in this role than any other. Selfishly, it just feels good to work for a service that I believe contributes so powerfully to the student community.

And I’m thrilled for what’s next for the Exponent. Emma Field, the Exponent’s managing editor, is taking over as editor-in-chief, and she’s already assembling a powerhouse staff primed to write the next draft in the Exponent’s very long history of Montana State University. Stay tuned, folks.