I heard the warnings but I didn’t believe them. I didn’t
think the Guardian had the power to take over my college life. But more and
more I found myself skipping class to conduct interviews, doing late-night
research rather than studying — or partying — and cranking out articles instead
of sleep.
However, looking back, the stress, criticism and caffeinated
delirium were well worth it. On a campus twice the size of my hometown, this
college newspaper is where I found my place, my interest and my voice.
I first walked in to the Guardian’s
sophomore year.
Leaving sports behind in high school except for a quick
stint as a UCSD cheerleader (which I quit), it is ironic that my early
involvement revolved around the UCSD athletics program.
What started out as an investigation into the underfunded,
oft-ignored department became a story of debt, threats of team cuts and rumors
of an approaching fee referendum. The athletics beat is where I first
discovered the inner workings of the campus, where academic prowess prevails at
the expense of student life and UCSD has loyalty to a system with political and
economic interests of its own.
But it was the UC compensation scandal, the D.O.C. protests,
union negotiations, rising tuition costs and the free-speech policy issue that
really showed me an institution more like a business than a university.
However, the Guardian has provided an autonomous forum for students like myself
to critically think about the issues that directly affect us. While I’ll be the
first to admit that the paper can be biased, at least every bias is guaranteed
to be student slanted, representing the research and interpretation of students
alone, rather than being filtered through the administration or influenced by
outside forces.
While news has been a somber, although exciting venture,
working for the Focus section this year has opened up the positive side of
campus, committed to many worthy causes from humanitarian efforts to the
environment and offering a wide variety of activities that have potential to
make any student feel at home.
The most rewarding part, however, is the crazy bunch of
talented writers, artists and leaders that I have met through the Guardian,
whose mix of backgrounds, ethnicities, sexual orientations and opinions have
given me insight that I couldn’t have found elsewhere. I am grateful for each
of you who have guided me, challenged me, made me laugh or taken a dropkick in
the stomach for me! I will greatly miss the late nights, the singing, the inside
jokes, the themed parties at Matt’s house and staring at those filled bins
every Monday and Thursday morning, admiring what we have accomplished. Among
the many things I am proud of doing during my time at UCSD, the Guardian will
always rank at the top.
