Sara Coello, Editor-in-Chief
Like most freshmen, I came to UD with some pretty unrealistic goals.
I planned to major in art, then dropped studio classes after a single semester. I expected to appreciate Plato’s Republic, and instead learned to criticize it more thoroughly. I intended to navigate Italy with the greatest fluency, but slipped from “ciao” to “como estás” at least half the time I opened my mouth.
But my most important goal was one I’ll never stop laughing at: I was determined to ignore the happenings of the world, in favor of contemplation.
Maybe I was just weak, but I like to think my return to journalism followed a deeper revelation. It’s impossible to complete or act on the rest of the wisdom we pursue here without an objective view of what’s happening here and how that relates to our values.
If you care about restorative justice, you should care about the student judiciary. If you care about the viability of the philosopher king, you should care about the presidential transition. And if you care about anything, you probably care whether “Stacy’s Mom” is played at TGIT.
My only hope is that all of us, whether graduating and moving away or sticking around for another three years, stay connected. Keep up with what’s happening in the community that shaped you. Let it be a reminder of how, and why, you chose this place — and how much you have left to do.
Sara is graduating with a B.A. in human sciences, and concentrations in Spanish and journalism. After graduation, she will join The Dallas Morning News as a breaking news reporter.
Amanda Jesse, News Editor
Every week when I’d think of stories to offer at our budget meetings, I would find myself walking up the Mall.
I’d think of the students studying the in the Cap Bar or the library, laughing on back patios or snoozing in hammocks. I’d think of the professors reading in their offices, pacing in their classrooms, and catching up with old students in line for coffee. I’d think of facilities workers planting flowers, Super Dave talking with an alumna while her children swing outside the fishbowl, Miss Patty wishing someone a cheerful good morning.
These and a million other tiny things make our commu- nity what it is: beautiful.
As news editor, I aimed to serve it by providing relevant and accurate stories about the issues that matter to us. I’m grateful to have seen this university from so many different angles. I firmly believe that asyou get to know it better, you are able to love it more.
I would urge everyone to see this school not as the place they view from a single perspective, or as the place they want it to be in their minds, but as it is, in its entirety.
This is a place that matters. Its joys, hopes and fears belong to all of us.
While I will not be remaining here in body, I will always have a bit of my heart on this campus. My hope for the school for the future is a simple one: that we have faith in the mission of the school and in each other. That we will never shy away from challenging questions and will never be afraid to give honest answers.
In one way that is the mission of the newspaper. In a greater sense, it’s the role of every person in this community.
Amanda is graduating with a B.A.in human sciences. After graduation, she will be at the Dallas Morning News as a breaking news intern.
Bridget Kennedy, Arts & Culture Editor
If I look back five years, I would have never imagined myself sitting here writing this letter.
Through an interesting turn of events — a poor college student desperately needing a job was offered a position as a copy editor and eventually came to love working for The University News — I am now here, filled with immense gratitude for everything this paper has taught me.
All of the editors constantly search for relevant material to relay to the University of Dallas community, and the serious pages of the paper are pleasantly balanced with the light-hearted Arts and Culture section.
Some changes made to the section this year include the addition of a column, “Little known facts,” which sought to reveal interesting facts hidden in the archives about the university, and the addition of a comic, further brightening our newspaper.
Regular movie reviews allow those who don’t have extra time on their plates to decide which are worth their precious time, and recipes entice students to switch up their ramen noodle dinners for something a little more elegant, but simple.
Updates on the Drama Department, including Mainstage and senior studios, as well as the Art Department and its exhibits, remind the greater UD community to keep an eye out for the beauty that lies within the campus.
From the humans of UD to the freshman dorm ceilings, these are the things, and people, that make UD so special; I especially thank everyone who has written for this section for painting a picture of UD’s unique culture.
Bridget will be next year’s Editor-in-Chief, while completing her B.S. in biology with a pre-med track.
Rory MacCallum, Sports Editor
Working for The University News these last three years hasn’t felt like work at all; it’s been three years of fun.
As I say farewell to The University News, I’d like to thank the people that made it that way.
First and foremost, thank you to the readers. The lack of interest in sports at UD always disappointed me, and I strove as a writer and editor to write stories that would draw interest from those that don’t have an interest in sports. I tried to bring a more human element to the sports section.
These athletes work hard at their craft and represent theuniversity in a different way,but at the end of the day, they have to read “The Republic,” write an annotated essay in Lit Trad II, and figure out how totake the easiest science classes to get through the Core just like the rest of us. To those who read and enjoyed it, thank you.
Thank you to Ryan McAnany for giving me myfirst opportunity with The University News. Thanks to Athletic Director Dick Strockbine, Dr. John Plotts, Nathan Yacovissi and all the coaches and players who graciously gave me their time and knowledge as sources throughout the years.
Thanks to the copy and layout staff for their tireless work every week to put the paper together. Thanks to our Editor-in-Chief, Sara Coello, for doing a million things to put a good issue out every week. And finally, thanks to Rudy Bush for being an excellent teacher, both as a professor and an adviser for the paper.
It’s been a blast doing this the last three years, and I will miss it immensely.
Rory is graduating with a degree in economics and finance. In August, he’ll begin studying business and analytics at Southern Methodist University.
Kaity Chaikowsky, Photography Editor
I am convinced that I have the best job on campus.
As photo editor I find myself on all corners of campus, going places I never would have gone, attending talks I didn’t realize I was interested in and meeting people I never would have met. My job challenges me to leave my box and explore the university.
I have spent hours in the archives over my three years as a photographer; I know what the inside of the graduate ceramics studio as well as the baseball locker rooms look like; I was given a tour of Cardinal Farrell Hall when the floors were still concrete; I have made friends with numerous academics who come to give guest lectures; I am invited to professional events with lamb and chocolate dipped strawberries; the list goes on and on.
My camera is a secret tool. No person or place seems to be off limits when I have my camera in hand. Through my camera I have been able to truly experience this university. That gift is thanks to each and every person who picks up the paper.
I am so very grateful for my job. This university is like no place on earth, and I am extremely lucky to know that. So thank you to every single person reading this today. I would have none of this without you.
Kaity will complete her degree in psychology next year, and reprise her role as Photo Editor at The University News.
A special thank you from the editors to Rudy Bush, photographers Patrick Goodman, Hannah Green, Anthony Mazur and Marquel Plavan; copy editors Nick Krause, Valeria Reyna and Monica Ryland; layout designers Emma Hastings, Quinn Kelsch, Simone Loel and Lucy Teller; Business Manager Robert Hayter, Distribution Manager Colin Lancaster, Social Media Editor Mary Spencer, Becca Shinn, all our writers and readers and all of the University of Dallas community.
