"The Plainsman is more than that ragtag assortment of people in the office the years you happen to pass through. It is a never-ending line of souls who are devoted to the proposition that telling the truth in a newspaper is important."
Reading that statement three years ago in my Plainsman staff manual didn't mean nearly as much as it does now, but it is something that I read before starting each semester at this publication.
There is no statement that could be more true about The Auburn Plainsman and its staff of student journalists.
These are the same students who balance work, school and some attempts of a social life to bring you a newspaper each week.
From budget meetings to pagination days, these students put in early mornings and late nights to keep Auburn University students, faculty and staff informed.
I've had the privilege to work with some amazing people in my three-year run at The Plainsman.
Whether they were reporters, photographers or designers, we all shared one thing: a love for this newspaper.
While some are moving on and others are staying to continue pushing this paper forward, we will always have The Plainsman to keep us united.
Therein lies the beauty and the beast of ending a semester and starting a new one.
The beast: Veteran staff members take with them a plethora of Plainsman and journalistic information, while leaving behind stale jokes that will soon be forgotten (many of which are scattered across these two pages).
The beauty: A new staff arrives to bring fresh ideas and a positive forward attitude.
As scary as it may be for those in the beauty category, the latter far exceeds the former.
The sky is the limit for the new batch of Plainsman staffers currently being selected and to those who have yet to wander into the newsroom.
You have the opportunity to continue this paper on its track back to national collegiate journalism prestige.
Take pride in the fact that you will be contributing to one of Auburn University's greatest traditions.
Push the limits.
Dig deep to get that extra interview for your article or that extra angle for your photographs.
The hard work you put into the paper each week will be rewarded with a dedicated readership and, hopefully, a few awards here and there.
Every late night filled with karaoke sing-alongs and office chair races are coupled with breaking news or in-depth features.
Just make sure not to lose sight of what has made this newspaper great and why it has been so successful at training college journalists since 1893.
The Plainsman succeeds in producing journalists with overflowing portfolios and resumes because it serves as a learning lab for its students.
It provides an opportunity to take the things you learn inside the classroom and apply them outside the classroom.
Why just remember that vigorous writing is concise or to omit needless words in 1100?
Applying these fundamentals of journalism to assignments for an award-winning student publication will teach you more lessons about the journalism field than any class assignment ever will.
You won't understand until you've written your first assignment, taken your first photograph or designed your first page.
But after that moment it will all make sense.
I feel fortunate to have come to Auburn as a journalism major.
But just because I came to Auburn as a journalism major didn't mean I knew what I wanted to with my life.
The trek from assistant photo editor to editor-in-chief was one filled with hard work and dedication.
It was also one filled with memories and friendships I will cherish forever.
The Plainsman gave a sophomore with some photo experience an opportunity to pave the rest of my college and professional career.
I am forever indebted to the lessons I have learned at this newspaper and the people I met along the way.
War Damn Plainsman.
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