By Matthew Kaufman
Former Editor-in-Chief
As I sat down to write this editorial, it only truly dawned on me that my time leading The Signal was coming to an end once I wrote the words “Former Editor-in-Chief” under my name.
With each change in title from semester to semester, I’ve grown as a writer, journalist, manager and person. Each new title brought along a new set of responsibilities, and a new set of opportunities.
Any freshman writer can tell you the nervousness they feel when working on their first article. From attending the first section meeting to addressing the first comments on a story, it can be quite a nerve-wracking experience.
When I turned in my first article for the Nation & World section, I had no idea what my future in The Signal would look like. I couldn’t see myself leading the whole organization the way the top editors at the time did, and I wasn’t sure I had what it took to produce the hard-hitting news stories that the paper needed.
But in the semesters that followed, I became more confident in my writing abilities and set my sights on applying for an editorial position, starting out as assistant editor before leading the Features section.
It was during that semester as Features editor that I began to envision ways of making The Signal even better. Our relevance on campus had diminished, and we felt we weren’t adequately serving our community. The Signal had (and continues to have) amazing potential, and I wanted to help be part of the team that guided the paper.
I’m most proud of the work done in my semesters as managing editor and editor-in-chief. Thanks to our amazing editorial team and endlessly helpful advisors in the journalism department, we were able to bring back print newspapers around campus, revitalize our presence on social media and ensure the consistent release of content that informs the campus.
Just this semester, we provided live coverage on election night in collaboration with WTSR and installed new newspaper racks around campus, and I even got to co-moderate a dialogue between political clubs on campus.
However, being editor-in-chief is not always easy. Plenty of times I was faced with an urgent issue that had to be resolved before I could turn my attention to school work or social functions. Plenty of times I would fall asleep at night and suddenly wake up with a worry about if I had missed something in a story or forgot to respond to an email.
But the stress is worth it, because I believe in the need for quality journalism in every community, and I believe that the immense responsibility held by journalists — student journalists included — is not to be taken for granted.
I can see the visible reaction around campus when a hot new article drops or when a funny Cop Shop headline gets posted to The Signal’s Instagram. A news outlet is nothing without an audience, so I’m tremendously grateful for the platform that The Signal holds at the College. I am proud to look back on our work over the past four years and believe with all of my heart that we are doing something important for our institution.
Perhaps most importantly, I’ve met some of my closest friends through The Signal. We’ve spent countless nights up until 3 a.m. (or 4 or 5…) tweaking the upcoming print edition to make sure every picture had a border, every space was filled and every column lined up precisely with the one next to it. Those production nights will hold a special place in my heart when I look back on the memories I made in college.
The Signal has been a part of my life since I was a wide-eyed, nervous first-semester freshman, and while I’ll still be around to write occasional articles and help bring in some money, it’s time I step back to let my friends lead the paper into the future. I know they’ll do amazing things, and the future of The Signal will be brighter than ever.
