For about a month now, I have been the Editor in Chief of The Stute, and I am very impressed with the amount of things we have accomplished since then.
In one mere month, we have redesigned the office, integrated the new website into our day-to-day activities in making the paper, and we have set in motion drastic changes to the layout of the newspaper. Additionally, we have made internal changes, streamlining roles and teaching each other our secrets, which allows us to make our Thursday deadline of midnight routinely. This feat alone is outstanding.
It is hard to state how proud and how happy I am for this club.
But, there have been some trials and tribulations that we, that I, have had to go through.
I learned early on, as a swimmer, what it was like to be a leader. I was the captain of my swim team in high school, and it was really, really hard. Not only was I the guy that all of the new people looked up to, but I was the guy who commanded the people who knew what they were doing too. The coach gave me special privileges, but with them came a lot of responsibilities.
I had a pretty badge as the captain that went on my varsity jacket, and I wore that thing everywhere. This was proof of my captain status, it was my pride, it was my symbol of authority. But it was also a burden. Outside of the pool, outside of the locker, outside of practice, everyone still called me the captain. And I was. No matter where I was, for that period in time, I was the irrefutable captain of the swim team. Because of it, all of the time, I was responsible for acting like the captain I was.
I had to hold myself a little differently, I had to act a little more mature; instead of goofing off before a meet, I would have to remind everyone to get some sleep and eat well, (and have to follow my own rules).
The same is entirely true for The Stute. I am not just the Editor in Chief at our weekly meetings on Tuesdays (9:15 p.m. on the second floor of Jacobus! Everyone should come), I am also the Editor in Chief late at night when I am checking emails, on the weekends, on my vacations, at work.
No matter what, I cannot escape being the Editor in Chief, and frankly, I shouldn’t try. I was elected into this position to uphold this position. It is tough. It requires a lot of knowledge and a lot of patience, with people and with things.
If I have some other activity, I have obligations to skirt it away (or find an adequate plan to temporarily put in place of myself) because I have to be a leader for The Stute. In spite of my own personal opinions, I have to weigh the opinions, values, and goals of every individual on The Stute and of The Stute itself.
But, because of these responsibilities, these things that I am burdened with, I am allowed to take pride in this organization in a way only 110 people before me had.
To anyone who wants to pick up the badge of leadership, take heed, that badge is as much a burden as it is a mark of pride.
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