As the school year winds down and we on the Outlook staff scramble to put the paper to bed, one last time for the semester, I find myself getting very nostalgic. It was less than two years ago when I walked from fall orientation into a dark, outdated, dingy office passing as a newsroom. Little did I know I would be spending the next year and half in that dungeon first as a writer, then features editor, then managing editor and finally my current position as editor-in-chief. I've seen a lot, heard a lot and learned a lot during my stay at SUNY Rockland Community College. Here are a few of the things I've picked up on: -Time management is the most valuable skill a person can have. If you can't manage yourself well, how can you manage others, let alone an entire newspaper? -Faculty members are generally wrong. This may seem judgmental, but in my experience I found it rare that a faculty member a) knows what they are talking about, and b) has my best interest in mind. Having said that, when you find a professor or administrator that really does care about your well being, latch on to them and try your best not to disappoint. -Students are not doing all they can to succeed. The thing that continually bugged me and that I still don't understand is the tremendous lack of initiative and procrastination that so many of my classmates and staff at Outlook demonstrate. I still can't grasp what makes someone think it is OK to sign up to do something or take on a responsibility and then not come through. I try not to lose too much sleep over this, but I really think it's damaging our generation. How can we as young adults be entrusted with the future of the world when we can't even hand in our term papers or articles by deadline? The fastest way to succeed in anything whether it is a job, school, an internship or a relationship is to prove to those around you that you mean what you say and that they can trust you to complete your tasks. The majority of my Outlook staff have proven this to me and I hope I've don't the same for them. -Everything is political. People are so sensitive and easily offended. In the newspaper business, you quickly learn that every word counts and has repercussions that you as the writer couldn't possibly foresee. Outlook has had its fair share of political battles, whether budget negotiations with the Student Government Association, or breaking a controversial story-it is all very political. So learn how to play the game while maintaining your integrity. -Students don't care about the newspaper. This is both a discouraging and inspiring fact all at once. Although knowing that most people will merely glance at or spill their coffee on what you toil over for weeks at a time could make some a bit angry. But it's OK, because that's where the challenge lies. I personally took it upon myself to increase Outlook's readership and I think it worked. And an answer to the ever-present question, "if no one cares why do you still do it?" I do it because it's important. The newspaper serves as a record of history, so even if no one reads it now, it is still necessary to have for the future. I also enjoy writing, editing interviewing and researching stories a lot and I want to have a career in broadcast journalism. -Students don't understand the role of the press and first amendment rights. Someone once told me that high school students across the nation were asked whether or not it mattered to them if their local newspaper was controlled by the government. Not so surprisingly, a majority of students said they wouldn't mind-how incredibly frightening. If there is no free media how can we as citizens expect to get any accurate information? The government is certainly not going to freely expose all of their mistakes and wrongdoings, that's the role of the newspaper as the fourth estate of government. This is even more important in college. Now, more than ever our newspaper needs to be free and independent of government and serve as an open forum for the exchange of ideas. If we don't know the way free speech works in college, how can we expect to suddenly understand it after graduation? Our administrators and educators should do everything in their power to inform students of their rights as citizens of this country. Hopefully you can take something away from these tidbits I've picked up along the way. I've seen outlook go from the bowels of the library, into a room with a wall full of windows and I am confident that it will keep getting better in years to come, and that readership will continue to increase. So, keep reading and keep exercising your rights!
Thank you,
Rebekah Binger
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