It’s true: with this issue The Hill News has just completed its 110 year of printing and our staff could not be more proud.  On the front page is the volume number, “CX,” underneath our masthead which reads “Established in 1911 at St. Lawrence University.”  Through these years The Hill News has become a professional and reputable publication in its own right, earning awards from the New York Press Association including a first place in General Excellence in 2015.

At the start of this academic year we were faced with a number of challenges.  We were not exempt from the 40 percent budget cuts to all Thelmo organizations, and the COVID-19 pandemic made printing challenging.  But we were determined that we would still find a way to publish the paper, and we did.

For myself, I feel very lucky to have been part of the newspaper for the last four years, both as a publication and as a community.  When I came to St. Lawrence I wasn’t sure what to major in, but as my interest in journalism grew my adviser at the time Dr. Juraj Kittler encouraged me to write for and later apply for an editorial position with The Hill News.

My sophomore year I was accepted as the News Editor, and to be completely honest the first few weeks were challenging to be completely honest.  Not only was there a steep learning curve, but I also didn’t know anyone on the staff.  But after those first few weeks I started to get to know the other editors, and they were very welcoming.  I started to feel like I was a part of a community, and that community has been a huge part of my experience at St. Lawrence.  

Though the past year has been hard because of the budget cuts and pandemic restrictions, the staff members have kept it fun and supported me and each other when stressed or overworked.  As I write this, at the final layout of the year, I am saddened by the thought that these four years are at an end, but proud of all we have accomplished.  

I am also proud of changes we’ve made this year.  Throughout February and March each student received emails about applications for positions on our staff.  This is the first year we have extended the applications to the entire student body, and our hope is that this encourages more people to apply and gives everyone an equal opportunity to be on our staff.

While I am really proud of the changes we have made, I am aware that we have made mistakes in the last four years and that we need to continue to actively strive to improve both as a newspaper and as a staff.  I hope that in the years to come the staff continues to work to be a better voice for all students.

I also hope that all students across campus have the opportunity to interact with the newspaper while at St. Lawrence, either through reading, writing, taking pictures or editing.  We are always excited to welcome new members!

I’m also excited to announce that we now have an app!  The Hill News app is now available on Google Play for Android and will be available on the Apple App Store in the fall.  The credit for this goes primarily to our amazing Digital Managing Editor Thao Nguyen, who has done so much for our website, social media and app.  We also now have podcasts, and you should go to our website and check them out if you haven’t already!

I have been honored to work with the amazing staff of The Hill News over the last four years, first as a writer, then as News Editor, then as Opinions Editor and finally as Editor-in-Chief.  And I am especially proud of how this year’s staff has stepped up when faced with the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic.  I’m going to miss this team, and the newspaper, and all of the long Wednesday nights spent crying together because Adobe InDesign refuses to work.

But as I leave, I am extremely hopeful and confident that the newspaper is going to continue to grow and improve.  I am excited to welcome our next Editor-in-Chief, Margaret Dener, and I believe she will do an excellent job.  Margaret has been a writer and News Editor, and served this year as a Managing Editor.  She is exceptionally qualified and I am looking forward to seeing the great things she and our staff do next year.

So thank you, Hill News.  I am so grateful I had the chance to be a part of this newspaper, and I hope every student has the same chance.  Here’s to another hundred and ten years!