Letter from the managing editor: Read it if you want
After spending most of my Santa Monica College tenure as a staff writer, opinion editor and managing editor of The Corsair Newspaper, I now stand with a bittersweet feeling knowing that this issue will be my last. A piece of me rejoices for the freed up time in my life that will be attributed to finalizing my transfer from SMC, as well as seeing my family on a Tuesday for the first time in two years.
Of course, it will take some time to get used to reading SMC news knowing that I had nothing to do with producing it. After spending each day pondering and conjuring up ideas as to how we as a staff could make that particular week’s issue better than the previous one, I’d be dishonest in saying I won’t miss it.
In fact, I’m going to miss it very much. The late (sometimes sleepless) nights, the praise from writing a good story, and the hate that trickled in when people did not agree with what we wrote were tremendous parts of my life for this time. I’m going to miss the various clubs and organizations on campus that would walk into the newsroom, head in flames, because we wrote something not to their liking.
Nothing pleases me more than knowing I was part of a staff that provoked a united front of 50 plus faculty members to threaten the production of The Corsair. That is not to say I disrespect the great faculty of our campus, only that I took pride in the fact that our stories generated debate and controversy on a campus known for its diversity in race, culture, ethnicity, and viewpoints.
I am also going to miss the interaction with the rest of the campus. Between reporting, interviewing, and gathering information for any potential stories, I spent a lot of the time on staff speaking to administration members, student government officials, faculty members, and students themselves, getting to know different people and building relationships on campus that I did not have the opportunity to do before joining The Corsair.
I am going to miss each time our advisor told us to start a story with an anecdotal lead, or that our stories were too opinionated. I will miss our photo advisor telling us that photos we thought were OK were actually abysmal. I am going to miss my dear friend constantly mentioning me in the drafts of his stories as a coke and patron enthusiast. Most of all, I will miss my team. Many, if not all, of my close friends at SMC I met because of The Corsair.
Though the days were not without their fair share of drama, the best parts of each day were spent walking to Bob’s Market with my brother-in-arms, contemplating what would go into the following issue all the while quoting Bane—voice and all—from Dark Knight Rises every chance we got (seriously, he has become the prophet of our lives). Some of our best conversations transpired during big Mexican breakfasts at Campos after realizing we were too late for breakfast at Burger King.
The 3 a.m. nights I spent with three other misfits, talking about relationship nirvana, which super heroes we would be in the Avengers, which actors and actresses would portray us if a Corsair film were to be produced (none of which would be Michael Fassbender), and other topics that ordinary students would render us insane for talking about, have made up 90 percent of my favorite memories at SMC.
The reality is if you’re still reading, most of you have no idea what I’m talking about and I truly don’t care. That is what I consider the best part. I was able to build friendships with the freedom to be completely random, stupid, foolish, and borderline insane, while still able to feel completely comfortable. I was able to have these inside jokes that no one else could possibly understand. For all the stress The Corsair may have brought me and for all of the sleep I may have been deprived of, I am leaving The Corsair knowing that I was able to be a part of something that allowed me to express myself both on paper and in real life. My advisors have my respect, and even though—due to work schedules—I may not have written as much as I would have liked to this last semester, they should know that I did try, and yes I was in class.
I would recommend joining The Corsair, or any club for that matter. You never know the kind of experiences you can have that can really add to your overall college and life experience.
So yeah, in spite of all the craziness, I had fun. There is not enough pole dancing controversies, copy editing errors, or lawsuit threats in the world to deter me from the fact that I had fun. Now I, and my Salvadorian brother (seriously we’re very likely to be related with how small that country is), end a run that started in fall of 2013; and along with my favorite pair of vegetarian degenerates and some other comrades, I can ride off, with a fist in the air, knowing that I was a part of The Corsair (that truly was not intended to rhyme but I'll roll with it). Peace.