Note from the editor
The April issue's note from the editor
Robyn Hyden
Issue date: 4/15/09 Section: News/Features
This month, I am graduating with only the vaguest notion of what comes next. I’m not alone in having no set plans for next year, and but I’m happy with that. Whatever happens, a wise person once told me, one should stay open to new experiences. (Of course, in the meantime it helps to fill out as many job applications as possible.) So this is my last issue of Orbis - and while it is with some relief that I leave the paper in the hands of my capable successor, Erika Hyde, it is also with a certain amount of sadness. I’m really going to miss working with my staff, having an excuse to go out and investigate things that I might otherwise ignore, and even production weekends, as hectic as they are. Importantly, Orbis has forced me to go out and seek new experiences. Writing about political and social issues has also led me to examine my assumptions and re-affirm my deepest beliefs. Putting one’s convictions down on paper really forces one to take a side. It hasn’t always been fun, but it’s been worthwhile. And I’ve had the freedom to write about whatever I want.
Writing for a school paper has certain challenges, though. For one thing, I wonder, who are our readers, and what are you looking for when you pick up the paper? What is our obligation to be fair and unbiased while, at the same time, reporting on progressive politics, in which we all have a stake? These are not insignificant questions, and I have worked to try to address them. I wanted to make the paper informative and entertaining, and something that would truly be useful to progressives on campus. We may not have achieved all of our goals, but I’m proud of what we’ve done.
I’ve been lucky enough to have the freedom to work on this paper with funding we receive from VSC and Campus Progress. With so many print media outlets facing financial distress these days, it is truly a luxury to be able to write as a student paper without worrying about fund raising or ad sales. Things may get harder in the years to come, but I truly hope that Orbis staff will continue to find the experience of working on the paper as rewarding as I have.
-Robyn Hyden
Writing for a school paper has certain challenges, though. For one thing, I wonder, who are our readers, and what are you looking for when you pick up the paper? What is our obligation to be fair and unbiased while, at the same time, reporting on progressive politics, in which we all have a stake? These are not insignificant questions, and I have worked to try to address them. I wanted to make the paper informative and entertaining, and something that would truly be useful to progressives on campus. We may not have achieved all of our goals, but I’m proud of what we’ve done.
I’ve been lucky enough to have the freedom to work on this paper with funding we receive from VSC and Campus Progress. With so many print media outlets facing financial distress these days, it is truly a luxury to be able to write as a student paper without worrying about fund raising or ad sales. Things may get harder in the years to come, but I truly hope that Orbis staff will continue to find the experience of working on the paper as rewarding as I have.
-Robyn Hyden
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