Opinion

Assistant Editorial Editor’s final words

For the past two semesters, I’ve had the opportunity to share with you each week about issues that I believe deserve a discussion within the Tennessee Tech community.

Next month, I, along with several other members of our staff, will graduate, thus ending our time here at “The Oracle.” I am thankful to have been given this platform to speak from each week, and I hope that I have used it in a way that is responsible, tasteful and that elevates the level of conversation on matters of public interest.

Our editorial editor, Cassie Tesauro, has been a tremendous encourager and teacher during my time here. One of her many entertaining editorials last semester was entitled “Think Before You Speak”-advice that I have tried to always heed when writing my opinion pieces each week. She ended that column by stating “The world is waiting to hear you say something that matters.” That’s what I have always sought to do.

I’ve used this column to discuss topics ranging from the Occupy movement, to our state’s recently passed voter ID law, to false claims of a “Republican war on women,” to Kim Kardashian-because really, you can’t make a sex tape, get married in a reality television event for the E! Network, then get divorced 72 days later and not expect me to write about it.

Also, as I recall, that was a pretty dry week for politics.

You did your part on a regular basis by joining in the conversation and sending us your comments and letters to the editor.

Who would have thought that the most strongly worded responses I would receive would come from my editorial on Madonna’s Super Bowl halftime show? (Shout out to Jaclyn in New York!) For the record, I still say she lip-synced that performance.

Whether you agreed with what I had to say each week, or found yourself completely opposed to the opinions I expressed, I want to thank you for reading, and I hope that if nothing else, it caused you to investigate the merits of the topic for yourself and develop your own opinions.

Oh, and thank you Ron Paul supporters for not slashing my tires after the February 3 issue.

I want to thank our managing editor, Will Housley, and our faculty advisor, Professor Cowart, for giving me this opportunity.

I also want to thank my advisor, Lori Maxwell of the political science department, and all of my instructors in the journalism department-Brenda Wilson, Russ Witcher, Karen Lykins and Monica Greppin-Watts-for their guidance over the past four years.

A special thank you is also owed to the unsung hero of the Communications Department, Eva Dingwall. Her title is administrative associate, but that does little to describe all that she does for “The Oracle” and the students of the department on a regular basis.

I have no delusions of grandeur when it comes to my work with this publication. We are not the “New York Times.” If we were, I would have been fired on the first week.

We are a small, college paper, but a darn good one at that. I believe that the work we do and the service we provide to the Tennessee Tech community is important, and I am both proud and grateful to have been a small part of it and to have worked in the company of so many talented people. Thank you.