By co-editors-in-chief, Emily Rosenthal and Emma Ragon
In society today, the world of print news is threatened. While we both enjoy receiving our news through these print platforms, digital reporting is beginning to take over due to the influx of technology. Unfortunately, The Villager has taken a hit.
Students, faculty and staff read The Villager. Along with six of our editors, we go to our Newspaper Practicum class each Monday and Wednesday eager to edit the latest stories. As the editors-in-chief, we spend countless hours reading, editing and laying out stories. We enjoy seeing our hard work in print, and are both guilty of picking up at least three copies of the latest edition on newsstands around campus.
However, the excitement of seeing the latest issue on newsstands is about to end. Due to a variety of factors including cost, readership and timeliness, The Villager will be published only online after this semester.
As this semester comes to a close and we publish our last print issue, we are dismayed. We love picking up those print publications and reading them time and time again. We love to feel the pages between our fingers and physically present our hard work to friends and family. We love seeing our work in print, but we know that print copies must come to an end.
We have created a strong bond and friendship over our passion for writing. We have grown closer as we attend each class and edit each issue. The Villager has been influential throughout our friendship as we have faced the same challenges and felt the same successes.
Sometimes, it is hard to see past our challenges. At first, we saw the conversion from print to digital as an obstacle. Many students and staff are not ready for the change. At the beginning of the semester, we weren’t ready for the change either.
Next semester, our editorial class will be quite different. We will abandon Adobe InDesign for a WordPress platform. We will not be responsible for print layouts. We will not be familiar with the technology. But this is all okay, because we will continue to broadcast the latest stories with passion and integrity.
We would like to personally thank our Villager staff for their hard work this semester, and Chip Rouse for her dedication as our advisor.
Thank you to all who have supported this publication since its inception. We will continue to work hard as we convert to a digital platform in the spring!
