By Mike Sherr
Editor-in-Chief
In December 1885, students at the New Jersey State Normal School published the first edition of this publication. The editorial board of that long ago version of The Signal dedicated the organization to “all rights and the highest interests of those whom we would represent.” Basically a fancy way of saying students.
Those editors also wanted the publication to be thought of “as a Knight of the Sorrowful Countenance,” which is a reference to Don Quixote apparently. I never read the book so the reference is wasted on me but the words sound pretty which is good enough.
The Signal of 2023 is, hopefully, very different from the Don Quixote quoting literary publication of 1885. We have become a reliable source of news for the College community, covering topics from sports wins to administration shortfalls. The Signal has been part of the institutional history of the College, covering almost every major event to happen to this small speck in Ewing, NJ.
The Covid-19 pandemic that shut down our print production in March 2020 was detrimental to our place on campus. For many students like myself, a print newspaper has never existed on campus. There are probably students who have no idea that the College even has a student newspaper. Multiple members of the faculty and staff have told us that they either did not know we existed or thought we dissolved a long time ago.
In today’s world of news alerts and infotainment, The Signal, like many other small news organizations, has changed to try to fit in with small attention spans and disinterest. We have “relaunched” (multiple times) and have focused purely on our website and social media accounts, still providing the same level of journalism as we did in print.
Even though we have been successful in continuing the legacy of The Signal, it is time that we return to our roots in print and rejoin the campus community.
In order to do so, however, I must acknowledge the many people that have helped us get to this point including the seven Editors-in-Chief since March 2020 whom without which this newspaper would not exist. I also have to thank the countless staff writers, correspondents, photographers, graphic designers, coders, business managers and section editors that have kept this ship running since March 2020.
Special thanks must be given to our fantastic faculty advisor, Emilie Lounsberry, who has been an immense resource to our organization for years, especially in recent semesters. I personally can not thank her enough for how much she has helped in this return to print.
Finally, I must thank the campus community for continued interest these past years in the ongoings of this College. Without you, we would have fizzled out long ago.
On behalf of this organization, both past and present, it is my pleasure to proudly reaffirm our signal in the interests of the students of The College of New Jersey. Like the editorial board of a long forgotten period, we ask for your support.
