All Is Optional

In his book of essays, A Man Without a Country, Kurt Vonnegut said, “Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. All they do is show you’ve been to college.”

I have used semicolons in this editorial space and I have been to college. Being a staff member of The Pace Press and studying literature and film has taught me much more than proper usage of pretentious punctuation. (Though both have increased my vocabulary and my ability to say the same thing in numerous ways.)

The editorials written when I joined staff are starkly different than those written in the last two years. The Press has improved in countless ways. The most important and invaluable improvement has been solidifying our role within the community.

An unfortunate circumstance of our role is that student journalists meet undesirable situations in all aspects of University life. The Administration treats us like any journalist would be treated. They frequently refer us to the public relations office. In a way, we appreciate that. As frustrating as it can be, it’s nice to know we are considered to be legitimate.

However, the downside is we are never treated strictly as students. When doing a project for a literary journalism course last fall, I felt I had to promise my first born in order to convince administrators their interviews for course-related work were strictly off the record.

Despite these setbacks, our staffers show up to meetings each week. They take tough news stories with the same enthusiasm as the more enjoyable and relaxing arts and features stories. And their passion inspires editorial writers to offer constructive criticism each week.

We enjoy letters to the editors because they help us continue the dialogue. But we certainly don’t need a pat on the back each week, however nice it is. Our paper flies off stands; that’s the only validation we need in continuing the work we do.

We have succeeded in creating the desire for information. People pick up The Pace Press to read about issues affecting the University the same way New Yorkers pick up the New York Times to learn about the city, the nation and the world. So, thank you, readers, for caring; as long as you can do that, we’ll be here to provide it for you.