Only five more weeks to go
Just one more Emerald to go.
My daily mantra for the past
several weeks has been a vari
ation on that sentence: “Twen
ty-two Emeralds to go” ...
“Thirteen to go” ... “Only six to
go.” Now, the penultimate issue
has arrived, and my final 01’ Dirty
Emerald as editor in chief is on
deck for publication Monday.
The one-year stint at the paper’s
helm has come as my higher edu
cation career nears its end, so this
is supposed to be the proverbial
“What I learned while in college
... p.s. to the returning students:
See ya’ later, suckers” column.
(Before my schooling officially
concludes, however, I have to
somehow cram 18 credits into the
first four weeks of the summer
school term; then I’ll have my
bachelor’s degree in sociology and
it’s on to Austin, Texas.)
- Not to imply that college has
been a breeze, but being editor in
chief of the Emerald was arguably
the biggest challenge of my life.
The highs and lows sometimes
seemed to alternate hour by hour.
Despite a fever-graph perception
of the experience, though, I can
say that taking on the responsibili
ty was the right choice to make.
But back to the “What I
learned...” part of the essay. Hon
estly, it’s difficult to write about my
education without thinking of my
job experiences with various news
papers. I’ve worked at newspapers
for about one-third of my life, in
cluding several years in Florida at
an independent publication, two
years at The Torch, Lane Commu
nity College’s paper, and two and a
half years at the Emerald.
In the past 12 months as the
Emerald editor in chief, I’ve
learned that a person’s education
is so much more than listening to
lectures and following syllabi. I’ve
learned patience with the Emerald
staff when confronted with mis
takes in the newspaper that some
times defy explanation. I’ve tried
really hard to learn how to be more
tactful when dealing with readers
who have no idea how a newspa
per operates. I’ve learned accept
ance — that we may not have al
ways put out the best product
possible, but we always put forth
our best effort.
And I’ve learned that you can’t
please everyone. Maybe that could
be re-worded to “There will always
be a few people who will never be
pleased, no matter what you do.”
Inside this organization, the
sense of never feeling satisfied
comes with the territory, and it’s a
good thing. I’ve watched writers,
editors, photographers, designers
and sales people at the Emerald
push themselves to delirium at
times because they weren’t satis
fied and they wanted one last op
portunity to tweak a lead, adjust a
photo or perfect a graphic.
Simply put, we have one hellu
va staff of students — and a top
notch group of full-time profes
sionals — working at the Emerald,
and I’ll miss this place.
Sure, putting in about 40 hours a
week at a college newspaper while
taking a full load of classes can be
a major pain. Especially when
some of your readers — the group
of people who grade journalists,
and rightfully so — tell you that
you’re barely managing a C-minus.
But I’m not leaving this position
with a heavy psychological load
because of the criticism. Of course,
I don’t turn away others who want
to take the heat for a change.
When I hand over the reins to
summer editor Andrew Adams, he
will be the one taking those com
plaints about how the Emerald
is/has become/always has been
(insert carping comment or phrase
here). Then when Jessica Blan
chard returns in fall 2001 for her
go-round as editor in chief, she can
answer the readers’ angry calls,
open their occasional condescend
ing e-mails and engage in that rare
face-to-face demand for a retrac
tion or an apology.
Despite all of that, this undertak
ing has brought about for me a
transformation of sorts. Whereas
my critics were once damned, I’ve
learned to accept criticism for
what it is, and I’ve learned to just
smile and work harder next time.
Maybe Elvis Costello said it best
in one of his songs: “Oh I used to
be disgusted / and now I try to be
amused. / But since their wings
have got rusted, / you know, the
angels wanna wear my red shoes.”
I’m ready to give up the red
shoes and I’m ready to graduate
from college. But how does a per
son sum up a year’s worth of toil
and trouble, as well as genuine
laughs and good friendships, all of
which has been etched into my
memory at the end of this five-year
journey to obtain a degree?
Just one more Emerald and four
more weeks of classes to go.
And then, it’s time for a sigh of
contentment.
Jack Clifford is editor in chief (through
Monday only) for the Oregon Daily Emer
ald. His views do not necessarily represent
those of the Emerald. He can be reached
at ode@oregon.uoregon.edu.
p.s. See ya’ later, suckers.
Black Cap,
Black Gown,
White Pearls.
Price is not the
only indicator
of value,
it is also a
combination
of integrity,
quality, service
and experience!
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