Notes from the Desk We Quit! Our valedictory address

Author: Scott Greene, James Kerrigan, and Jack Lysohir

Valediction val-uh-DIK-shuhn, noun: the action of bidding farewell; a farewell.

Consider this our valediction. Impressed with our vocabulary? You shouldn't be. During tonight's ed board meeting (our last, ever, single tear) James' aging IBM think pad dinged twice - as it has so many times before - signaling the arrival of a new email. The email was the trusty dictionary.com word of the day, and sure enough, the prophetic voice that is dictionary.com told us that our word of the day was "valediction." Soo good, dictionary.com, soo good.

After disparate yet fulfilling years working in News, Sports, Opinions, and finally taking over the helm of the newspaper this fall as Editors-in-Chief and Managing Editor, we are bidding our farewell. Contrary to popular belief, we're actually not really quitting...we're Febs. And due to either above average extracurricular involvement and Carhartt wearing or a propensity for international travel and environmental stewardship (Green Issue!) we were accepted to come to Middlebury in February, and therefore also must leave this place in that cold, miserable month. J-Term will be a period of transition for The Campus and for us as we help the newly elected leadership begin the most exciting and meaningful period of their lives.

Though our departure from The Campus is imminent, we can't help but reflect on our semester in charge. Perhaps our journey can best be described as the zig zag of a thousand tacks (sailing metaphor #2, thanks Jamo), beginning with our orientation screening of "All The Presidents Men" (thanks Jacko), where we tried in earnest to imbue our new charges with the important ideals of journalism - that is to say, follow the biggest story, where you can get the most attention, with only the most spurious of sources (thanks Scott). Amen. Dreams of investigative journalism soon turned into the cold reality of three super seniors and eight iMacs in a dark, dank Hepburn basement.

And so we began. Unfortunately, our investigative journalism only helped to uncover the saddest of stories. Faced with numerous deaths in the College community and a worsening financial crisis, our serious mission as reporters became clear. Our early issues meant late nights discussing how best to report on highly delicate matters in the most diplomatic and informative ways. We took these tasks seriously.

Later the news cycle changed, turning to politics, when we reported on the excitement surrounding Obama's victory. The following week we made College newspaper history with our Green Issue; and made Middleubry Campus history by mispelling our second above the fold front page headline in one semester. However, we stand by our claim that carbon neurality neutrality is being slowed by the economy.

But that's all over now. And things change. The old Macintosh G3's that reside in the closet have now been replaced by slimmer, faster and more fashionable versions of Steve's Jobs latest vision. Despite the technological updates, The Campus remains, as it has for editors of the past, about the camaraderie. To be sure, there have been changes - Ramunto's buffalo chicken pizza replaced Neil & Otto's breadsticks as our Monday night snack, for example - but the late nights, looming deadlines and friendships live on.

But now, at 2:56 am. we wonder, tritely (of course), where the time went? When you work on a newspaper a sense of renewal is profoundly felt. Every week is a new adventure, a new crisis, a new opportunity. We experience time narrowly, day by day, week by week, above all, issue by issue. But now those weeks have added up and we're faced with the fact that our semester and our Middlebury careers are nearly over. Looking back, we're glad that so much of those careers - and late nights - were spent carrying on a proud Middlebury tradition and contributing to this very paper. Thanks for giving us the chance. So long.