The first letter of Timothy to the Dallasites
Dear students, faculty and staff of the University of Dallas –
Dear fellow UDers,
I am Timothy Roberts, the News Editor and Distribution Manager of The Cor Chronicle, but I am a man of many names – Michael, Tim, Mr. Roberts, Richael Moberts, Church Tim, Tiny Timmy, Slim Tim, Showtime, Big Mike. Call me as you please.
My time at the largest student-run publication at the University of Dallas began relatively later than most of my fellow editors. Strangely, I wasn’t even a student at the time. In the fall of my junior year, I took a semester away from academics to work full-time at the Registrar’s Office. During our weekly meeting with Dr. John Norris, the Associate Provost, he mentioned that UD was preparing to apply for Hispanic-Serving Institution status. Curious, I did my own research and was fascinated by the process – what can I say? I’m a sucker for bureaucracy.
I wanted to support this initiative and let the general UD population know the implications of HSI status – particularly in terms of funding for our STEM departments. I figured the best way would be by writing about it. The pen is a powerful thing.
At the prodding of Ms. Marisa Darby, the Registrar at the time, and Ms. Paula Brown, the current Registrar, I called up an old friend – Giovanni Del Piero, who was but a staff writer at the time – and asked when the newspaper meeting was. When I pitched the story, to my surprise, Emanuel Rame, my predecessor and now an Editorial Fellow at the Dallas Morning News, not only offered to run the piece but offered to run it as a front-page two-article special.
During my time writing the HSI story, I fell in love with being a journalist. What I originally thought was a simple, straightforward story led me down a rabbit hole that concluded with me interviewing the Office of Academic Success about their summer programs.
After the HSI article got published, I took on a story about the Monday Night Meetings that were instated last year and then pitched my second major piece – a full-page behemoth exploring how the Office of Admissions and the Office of Advancement work together to fund the university.
The finance piece was published in the first issue of the next semester when I was in Rome with the 2023 Spromers. Halfway through my Rome semester – while I was attending the funeral proceedings of a potato named Poe out by Hatlie Hill, where he is buried to this day – I got a call from a certain Giovanni Del Piero, who offered me the position of News Editor.
As News Editor, my primary objective has been to live out our motto – Veritatem in Lucem Proferre, “Bringing Truth to Light.” In my view, this motto calls us to bring out of ignorance that which ought to be known.
For instance, Student Government is often cloaked in obscurity, so covering their freshman senator debates, their agenda and their major resolutions was and continues to be a priority. When Dr. Matthias Vorwerk, the Provost, sent out his email concerning tailgating, I personally wrote the article explaining the tailgating controversy and the policy behind it so you didn’t have to sift through six years of Student Handbooks.
I believe that The Cor Chronicle must report difficult stories, stories previous administrations have shied away from. Our article about the four figure fines certain condos received due to Charity Week tuck-ins comes to mind. These stories affect the UD ecosystem and ought to be brought to light.
My fellow students, we spend at least eight months out of our year at this school, living in and around this campus. This community, its concerns and its needs ought to be at the forefront of our minds. The Cor Chronicle is a platform for these to be aired, whether it’s something as broad as increasing support for student athletes or something as particular as poor bathroom conditions in the freshman dorms.
Through this, I believe the newspaper can be a positive force in our community and a potential agent for change. Journalists are powerful – that’s why the best ones end up dead.
However, for The Cor Chronicle to serve the UD community, we need your support. Keeping a close finger on UD’s pulse is a priority, especially for my section, but that requires input from all corners of campus. For instance, the condo fines article was pitched to me in the middle of the Male Auction by a friend of the afflicted parties. If you know of anything you think ought to be reported on, track me down and let me know, or email me at mroberts@udallas.edu. You can also pitch them to any member of our staff. While this is our last issue this semester, we’ve already begun planning for the next. We are always open to new ideas!
I would also like to extend an invitation to you to write for any of our sections. Writing for the News Section is a fantastic way to network around campus and develop relationships with people you may never have had contact with otherwise. In my experience, since becoming a journalist, I’ve never felt closer to the UD community.
If you prefer to forgo the research process but have opinions you’d like to publish, please reach out to our Commentary Editor, Larisa Tuttle, at ltuttle@udallas.edu. The Cor Chronicle wants to be a platform for your voice – our vision is to be a public forum for discussion about the issues UDers want to discuss.
If you’re more inclined to the camera than the typewriter, we’re also looking for additional help with our video interviews that we began publishing on our Instagram, @thecorchronicle, this semester.
It has been a blessing and a privilege to be your News Editor this past semester. I look forward to working with my fellow editors to build upon what has already been built up this semester at The Cor Chronicle and, with your help, to continue to serve the UD community.
God Bless,
Timothy Roberts
News Editor & Distribution Manager
The Cor Chronicle
P.S. By the way, whoever stole my precious walking stick from outside my student apartment, I want it back. Please.