It’s hard to believe that exactly one week separates Goshen College from the end of the spring semester, and the beginning of another May term. It’s also hard to believe that this will be the last issue of the Record printed until next fall.

I’ve spent a lot of time trying to figure out what to say in this space, considering this will be my final editorial as the editor-in-chief of the paper, but how do you even begin to sum up the experience of this job? Or on a larger scale, how the campus has evolved over the course of the semester?

One of the questions that I’ve thought about every day since the beginning of winter break this year has been: “what makes a good newspaper?” After 12 weeks of writing story assignments, brainstorming and planning, I can honestly say that I can’t answer the question with a specific definition. My goal for this semester was to bring a more personal feel to the newspaper. I wanted to incorporate new voices, different perspectives and opportunities for dialogue. Last semester, we had a strict emphasis on what was happening around campus. I wanted to represent the people behind the events, and their motivation for their actions. Did I accomplish this? I’ll leave that up to you to decide.

In my time as editor, I’ve learned that there are many amazing individuals who make up this campus community. I’ve enjoyed their stories, the work they do and the difference they’re making in the world around them. Their stories, opinions and beliefs are not only inspiring, but they make me believe that our small Christian college does have the potential to change the world.

With this approach, I realize that there are people who haven’t had the opportunity to share their experiences in the paper. I’d like to apologize for that shortcoming.

Despite the size increase of the paper for this semester, there wasn’t enough space to realistically represent every student and staff member on campus. I firmly believe that everyone has a story to tell and something to share, and I strongly encourage you to share those stories with the Record. To me, one quality of a good newspaper is that it accurately represents the community it surrounds. I’d like to think that the newspaper has moved forward in this area, but I also think that there is more work to be done in this area.

With only a few paragraphs remaining in my final editorial, I’d like to extend a huge thank you to my Record staff this semester. I have enjoyed working with each and every one of you and I appreciate all of the work you’ve done for the paper. You met the challenge of filling 12 pages all semester with ease and grace. For that I’m extremely grateful. I’d like to thank my friends, roommates and professors for lending support, suggestions and advice whenever I needed it.

I’d also like to thank each and every student on campus for being so involved in the campus community. The newspaper depends on you. Without your stories, we’d be a significantly smaller publication. So thank you for contributing your voices and for supporting what you believe in.

To the future editors of the paper, I wish you the best of luck with your upcoming semesters. This is a big job, and I couldn’t imagine any other people better suited to take it on. I’m excited to see the amazing things you will do with the Record next year. It’s been great, GC. Thanks for a wonderful semester.