Photo by: Adam Hammerman
For someone whose life has revolved around words for the past three years, it’s ironic how much I struggled to come up with the right combination of them to express what my experience at the DU Clarion has meant to me. I want to begin by looking back on what was, rather than looking ahead to what will be; however, as I’ve come to know through the past three years of working in this office – the past, the present and the future are all inexplicably interconnected and they all have an equally important impact on our lives. I can proudly say I would never be the person I am today without the Clarion, and the paper has provided me a vehicle to not only express my opinions, but to persistently tell the truth and report on the good, the bad and the ugly of what goes on on DU’s campus.
First of all, let me thank all of the people I’ve worked with here in the past: photographers such as Michael Furman and Andrew Fielding to section editors such as AJ Gunning, Deidre Helton, Gigi Sukin and Tyler Perlmutter to the two girls who took me under their wing. Laura Hathaway and Arianna Ranahosseini allowed me to be myself, but more importantly, they imposed trust in me, and with that trust, I was able to flourish into the young sports writer I always dreamed I would become. For this, I am truly thankful to them.
I remember my first week on the Clarion. The staff size was no more than 12. The staff writer position was non-existent. The website drew less than 2,000 hits per week. My first story was about head basketball coach Joe Scott agreeing to a contract extension. I learned from that assignment – I needed to buy a recorder if I wanted to be taken seriously as a journalst – as I would from every piece I wrote after it. In my career at the Clarion, I’ve amassed over 275 published articles, ranging from the op-ed section (“Sidelines needs to be sidelined,” Sept. 2009) to news (“Panda Express Eyes the Pub’s location,” April 2011) to entertainment (“‘Moneyball’ contends for best picture,” Oct. 2011) to lifestyles (“Alum travels unique path to success,” April 2011), and then, of course, back to sports, where I’ve covered everything from hockey to women’s golf. Ironically, my career at the Clarion came full circle last night, ending with a conversation with Coach Scott (see: “Men’s hoops” on page 17).
I don’t want this note to serve as a rehashing of my career here, so I’ll cut myself off and transition back into thanking the members of our current staff as it is this group I owe most of my thanks to. Since taking over as Managing Editor in the middle of winter quarter of my sophomore year, I’ve experienced a lot of enjoyment and success in the Clarion office. However, the last 24 editions of the paper have exceeded all the expectations I carried into this year, across all sections. I must give individual praise to all groups of people that have made this year unlike any other in Clarion history.
To all contributing and staff writers: your weekly dedication to the paper is what has made it thrive this year. You are the content producers of the paper, and, therefore, its engine.
To all the copy editors – Amy, Claire, Nick and Noel: you help catch the mistakes several sets of eyes don’t catch Sunday night on Google Docs and Monday afternoon during page layout. When I think about how much more strenuous my job would be if you weren’t in the office, it’s frightening to me. Cory and I would have been staying until 6 a.m. without all of you!
To Mike, Jake and Dayna: you saw the paper at its lowest moments – energy depleted, indecisive, moody and in shambles – every Monday night around 11 p.m. Instead of allowing us wallow and sulk, you constantly provided humor and reassurance to situations that were incredibly dim and somber. More than anybody else on staff, this group can attest to what the rollercoaster ride of producing a newspaper is like, and for that, I say thank you.
To Ryan and Adam: the photos this year, in particular on the front page, went from a professor sitting behind his desk to the startling Occupy Denver shots that demanded half of the front itself. Without your work and contribution, the growth of the paper’s readership would have never happened. Your photos attract new readers and give additional life to the written word.
To Caitlin and Sarah: the news section is leaps and bounds better than what it was when I first joined the paper. Back then, three to four Associated Press stories would run in news as opposed to any relevant campus developments. Now, we break stories on a weekly basis that local outlets use in their publications. I am so proud of the dedication of this section, demanding the most of it writers and holding their articles to the highest standards.
To Katy and Hannah: similar to news, you two, along with Anita and Deidre, have built lifestyles into an empire of restaurant reviews, horoscope advice, fashion and health tips and student profiles that go above and beyond touching the human cord in your readers. You have elevated a section that wasn’t even published at one point during my tenure on staff into the most consistent section of the paper. Your creativity with your section is to be admired and applauded.
To Laura and Alex: opinions was once a section that shamed the Clarion with the controversial and infamous “Seven women you meet at DU.” You have molded this once loose section into a sophisticated forum for excellent debate on topics we all must consider and think about daily. You two have employed a non-biased system of publishing diverse opinions and viewpoints, which is exactly what being an op-ed editor is all about.
To Christian and Dylan: teaming up with you two for entertainment spreads was one of my favorite parts about being a part of the paper and I can’t even imagine not doing an Oscar roundtable discussion next February. Being the film, music and television lover that I am, I was extra critical of your sections’ content, and with that criticism you worked dutifully to produce a diverse collection of reviews and previews with fresh layouts and designs.
To Anna and Alex: perhaps the two people on staff I am most proud of. You have taken my baby – the sports section – and made it a hundred times better than it ever was when I was section editor, and that’s not an exaggeration. In less than a year, the two of you have formed a mutual bond with one another and your section, and I can only hope that it continues to grow and thrive next year. You’ve made saying goodbye to sports a lot easier, and for that, I am grateful. You two are both destined for great success.
To Anita and Manthan: you are the Clarion’s bright future and it’s because of you I am confident and content with leaving this office. I believe in both of you, and have already been amazed at the projects you tend to work on this summer and next year. With the Presidential Debate this fall and the unveiling of the Academic Commons in the winter, you are in for a jam-packed year. I know you are prepared for it and I couldn’t ask to hand the paper off to anybody else.
To Cory: you are more than a business partner and a fellow journalist, you are a brother in arms. Someone who has shared all the highs and lows of this experience with me, combating our challenges, fears, obstacles and struggles together. You, along with this job, have been one of the only constants in my life since coming out to college. Thank you for being my rock; my foundation; my support. Without you, I don’t know if any of this could have been possible. Cheers to a life-long friendship and our respective futures.
Lastly I’d like to thank all my friends, family members, professors, readers and anyone else who has helped me get me to where I am today. I’d be lost without all the love and support. I hope this note expresses how much this experience, and those who I have shared it with, has truly shaped who I am as a person, colleague, friend, writer, journalist, leader, etc. This memory is now a part of my past, but it will always serve a function in my future. I don’t know what will come next for me, but I know it wouldn’t be possible with what I’ve learned from my time at the Clarion.
B
