Editorial

How to Miss the Newsroom

There are some things that you can’t even imagine missing. You can’t imagine missing them because they have become so ingrained in your life, so important to who you are, that the idea of leaving doesn’t quite make sense. That is, until you have to.

As a board, we’ve had 29 Monday meetings, 29 Thursday uploads, 29 “Send Me on My Way”s, and 29 countless other things. This Thursday, this Editorial, is number 29. The last one. Even now, we’re not quite sure how to miss this.

We’ll miss Mondays filled with lively pre-board-meeting chatter, voices and ideas that bounce off of each other during editorial talks, and the frantic pizza dash. We’ll miss Tuesdays working under the dimly lit fairy lights, Spotify playlists made for the newsroom, and newly created InDesign documents. We’ll miss Wednesdays with Gushers, GoGoSqueez, and maybe even chocolate hummus.

We’ll miss the Newsroom: the walls covered with signatures and doodles from the boards that came before us (some funny and heartfelt, the rest made nonsensical by the passage of time), the string of Polaroids (we found the secret stash), and the perpetual hum of the greasy fan that keeps our server from quite literally exploding into flames.

But most of all, we’ll miss the people. We’ll miss every single person who gave everything they had to this sometimes frustrating, but unfailingly rewarding thing we’ve all been a part of for the last year and more. We’ll miss all the ridiculous Editorial ideas and the even more ridiculous inside jokes (bring back Commons froyo). We’ll miss the people who look forward to spending so much time in this dusty basement of Morse. So, before we leave, we’d like to say thank you.

To Andover, thank you. Thank you letting us share your stories. Thank you for grabbing the paper from the kiosks every Friday, for discussing it over dinners at Commons, for holding us accountable and for pushing us — expecting us — to always be better. Thank you for providing this purpose that has become an intrinsic part of who we are.

To Neil and Tracy, thank you. Thank you for giving up your weekends and weeknights to be with us, and for being ready to pick up the phone no matter how late at night. Thank you for lifting us up when we fall, and for telling us what we might not want to hear, but what we need to hear.

To CXLII, thank you. Thank you for bringing your ideas, energy, and passion every time you walk into the newsroom. Since September, we’ve watched you grow into your roles and build your own relationships within The Phillipian. You’ve gone from a collection of people who happened to work for the paper to your own kind of family. And that bond is only going to get stronger, we’re sure of it. Thank you for everything. You’re all more than ready to uphold our legacy and that of the boards preceding us. We’re endlessly confident in you and endlessly excited for you. Make this place your own.

Endings are always the hardest part. But this ending is easier than most. It’s loving a place, but knowing that there are others who love it just as much as you do. It’s understanding that when something matters this much, you never quite forget it. This is how you miss The Phillipian.

This editorial represents the views of The Phillipian, vol. CXLI.

Reflections and advice from departing Editors of The Phillipian, vol. CXLII.

“Take responsibility for the impact of your words and actions, even when others don’t.” — C. Cho

“The only way to achieve perfection is to fail along the way.” — C. Ward

“Never let disappointment get in the way of taking what you do have and running with it.” — C. Gihlstorf

“When you fall, remember that the only thing left to do is to get back up and thrive.” — Y. Kim

“Everyone and everything has a story to tell. Give them a voice.” — A. Zhu

The Phillipian seems immense and daunting, but I can promise that you will always find your corner. From paper basketball to ‘what’s lede photo,’ I’ll miss it all.” — R. Prem

“Slow down and embrace the moment.” — J. Du

“Live. Laugh. Love. Commentary. ” — K. Aouga

“Take pride in your Paper.” — J. Buehler

“#digitalfirst” — H. Zheng

“‘Seek truth from facts’ — Deng Xiaoping” — J. Shen

“Work hard, appreciate your fellow Editors, and don’t take yourself too seriously.” — S. Rao

“Love your section and your people.” — A. Li

“Remember to visit the photo corner. We get lonely sometimes :(” — M. Callahan

“Make the most of it. Even if you’ve only got two years. Especially if you’ve only got two years.” — H. Solomon

“Laugh in the Newsroom, decorate StuPubs, and don’t forget the pizza.” — K. Hu

“Everything will be easier if you take care of yourself first. I promise.” — A. Min

The Phillipian isn’t everything, but it is something. How much depends on you.” — E. Belo-Osagie

“Lost: sleep, SAT subject test ticket, many sharpies, a pom. Found: a family, a home, a purpose —

really, everything I am. And 29 papers bursting with memories that make up for everything I may have lost, a thousand times over. I hope you find this too.” — A. Pinga

“I really didn’t know it was possible to be this sad and this happy at the same time. Sad because this crazy amazing thing is ending, but happy because it may be ending for me, but it’s just beginning for you.” — A. Lang

“You are more than any mistake. You are the risks you take, the songs you dance to late into the night, the friends you make. You are a family. Hold on tight, time will fly. ” — A. Lord

“We tried to clean the floor once. Within days, it looked as it always had: the tenacious layer of dried salt on the floor returned, tracked in and pressed down by daily foot traffic. Small piles of perished Goldfish populate different nooks and corners, stray pieces of blue painters tape slowly migrate across the floor — sticking and moving with the motion of the Newsroom like nomads. For a long time I resented the dirt, the trash, and the alarmingly unplaceable color of the Newsroom floor. Now, as everything is coming to a close, I find myself filled with a sense of unwavering [for more, visit phillipian.net]” — I. Lee

“I’m of the opinion that nothing makes a Newsroom great quite like the people in it. We had a pretty damn great newsroom. Do good work and take it seriously (but never yourselves), and — above everything else — never let this place lose the magic.” — W. Ennis

“Cherish and love the people around you — they are the ones who will have your back through it all. Hold on to the memories, and never forget how much you’ve grown. And don’t be afraid to let this place shape you.” — H. He