Terrence Payne
Editor-in-Chief
The second week is almost done. It’s hard to believe the semester is nearly over. Okay, that’s a bit of an overstatement, but hey, I’m a college senior.
Last year was interesting, to say the least. Class of 2012 Editor-in-Chief Justin Felisko wrote this letter a year ago under different circumstances. He was one of the many students here when the June 1, 2011 tornado touched down in Springfield and ripped through the campus. That wasn’t the only time weathe altered Springfield College. Late last October, a rare snowstorm came down on the northeast and took down numerous trees. A year later, the campus’s landscape is returning to form.
Happily, I get to write this letter on more of a positive note than Justin did. The school year couldn’t have ended better, with the men’s volleyball team winning the inaugural NCAA Division III National Championship on the Blake Arena floor in late April. The championship edition was the final issue of The Student last semester.
It is good to be back and currently in charge of the 103rd year of The Student. The paper returns a strong portion of its core staff from a year ago, with myself as Editor-in-Chief, along with four Managing Editors who are equally capable. We also welcome a crop of freshmen and other newcomers who are eager to jump in and help.
One of the biggest changes to The Student is the online content. In 2011, The Student finally joined the 21st century by adding a website: SCStudentMedia.com. The site incorporated all of Springfield’s media with The Student, WSCB 89.9 and SCTV3.
The site earned praise at a national journalism conference in Seattle, Washington during the spring. With the help of Online Editor, Jimmy Kelley, the site has never looked better. Throughout the summer, Kelley worked diligently to give each media outlet its own site and also connected them to one another. When The Student returns to the same conference this year in San Francisco, Calif., we hope to see the same results. With the use of the site, the paper’s Facebook page, and Twitter, the staff hopes to keep the college up-to-date on breaking news from up and down Alden Street.
As I enter the first of many long nights here at the newspaper office (located next to Abbey-Appleton Hall), I look forward to continuing the long-standing tradition of this publication. I will continue to build upon the work of Justin Felisko, who served for a year and a half and tried his best to make this a tough act to follow.
I watched him deal with sensitive and controversial stories with class, as well as entertain and inform the entire student body. With the help of a terrific staff, I believe I can keep that going.
As readers, I would like to hear from you. If there are any questions, comments, or concerns with this publication, I would like to hear from you. My email is tpayne2@springfieldcollege.edu, and I’m more than open to discuss the school newspaper with anyone interested.
I wish everyone a good academic year, and I look forward for what lies ahead.