Editor's Column

I wanted to write a column about how wonderful my first semester as Features editor was, and to thank everyone who helped in any way, or who reads the content we put out week after week. Hell, I did write that column, but I threw it in the tiny trashcan on my desktop, because it was stupid. Who cares? No one wants to read that. You want the drama, the passion, the gossip, and the latest about what is going on at Boston College right now. Features is the voice of the collective student body, not just mine.

Features serves as a sort of mouth-piece for students. We let our writers (and we are always looking for new ones—shameless plug, I know), write about pretty much whatever they like, as long as it’s not too profane, but sometimes even when it is. Because maybe that’s what you care about. Maybe you, my invisible reader, if you are out there, want to read cool Features stories about students, clubs, activities, professors, and prevalent issues.

And maybe you don’t care about my section. But I sure do. I love it, in fact. I think Features has grown immensely this year. I would love to hear your feedback at any point about what you, the students, want to see change. We have brought back the wildly popular Eagle Dates, have taken a glimpse into The Heights’ past, produced some killer content, and have made huge strides toward stability. Hopefully our readers know what to expect from us after this first semester.

But now comes the time for change. We don’t want you to get too comfortable. Now that we are stable—sometimes, at least—it is time to shake it up a bit. To be honest, I think I was a bit afraid of failing, and for that reason, I was afraid to take any big risks with the section. This fear to fail, and the need to not rock the boat too much, colored some of the choices I made this semester. But I have grown immensely since that first production night back in December when I was in charge of my own section, when I sat down at the computer at the Features desk in McElroy 113 and felt so completely lost and terrified. Today I stroll in with a bit more confidence, but have yet to tailor my section to completely reflect this.

Now is the time to get inspired. In our “Heights Through the Century” section today, a former Heights editor, Don Nathan, talks about his own experience on The Heights. I found the interview hysterical, but amid the humor, I found a lot of solid advice. One thing that really stuck with me was when he was talking about our generation’s fear of coloring outside the lines. I have been so afraid of doing this, not only in my Features section, but also in my life.

If nothing else, that is what this semester has taught me. And still, maybe you don’t care. But maybe, just maybe, you are a bit afraid also. Maybe you let things hold you back. This summer will be a time for renewal for sure, and hopefully I will be able to look back, with an impressed, rather than a critical, eye, at all that Features has accomplished this year.

I hope to get a little distance from my work, admire it, and find ways to improve it. I hope to get creative, and find ways to make Features even more inspired next fall for the second half of my time as Features editor. This is an experience I will only have once, and I want to leave a lasting impression. I need to leave my own footprint on the section.  I want to leave a little piece of me behind, so that someday someone will look at Features from this moment and time, and see its uniquely Therese Tully-like appearance. Even if they never do, if the archive room catches fire spontaneously, and the Internet crashes, and all is lost, at least I will know what I have done. I will be able to take pride in it, and see the tangible strides that I have made as a newspaper editor.