Throughout my four years at Vassar, The Misc has been one of the most consistent parts of my life. Among changing classes, dorm rooms and friendships, I have always contributed to The Misc. Even before I started at Vassar, I knew that one organization I wanted to be part of was the newspaper. My first-year org fair was on Zoom, as many of my first Vassar experiences were. As I sat homesick in the dorm room that I barely left, looking for community in what would become my new home, the first link I clicked on was the one for The Miscellany News. I dropped my email in the chats of various breakout rooms and nervously spoke to a couple of editors. Although I had been on the staff of a magazine in high school, The Misc seemed so much more professional, and a little intimidating. I joined the copy staff, doing remote shifts every week, sitting on a Zoom call for 45 minutes while reviewing articles. My experience—while quintessential for those who started college in 2020—was probably quite different from how others joined the staff. Despite this distanced participation, I had a sense that there was a deeper feeling of community among Misc members.
As I became more involved with the newspaper, more of this community was revealed to me. I joined the Editorial Board and met other editors, in addition to learning the intricate workings of the paper. While I was abroad, I missed my weekly routine of going into the Misc office and reading the issue’s articles, rushing through Wednesday’s final print edits while trying to catch every detail and spending my Wednesday evenings with the Editorial Board. I looked forward to coming back, knowing there would be a place for me on the staff, but I didn’t expect to become even more involved than the semester before.
When I started my position as Senior Editor, I was once more intimidated. I had only written a couple of articles, as most of my experience was in the copy editing section. The others on the Executive Board had both been News Editors and had written many articles, making them, in my view, much more experienced and qualified for their positions. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to contribute sufficiently. Once again, however, I was welcomed with open arms. I got to know each member of the Editorial Board, bonding during fun production nights and working through difficult decisions together. Over the past year, I have devoted more time to the Misc than ever before, and I could not be more grateful. I have become closer than I could have imagined with my fellow Editorial Board members, all while greatly enjoying the work I was doing. Even when we were facing great difficulties and complex decisions, I was encouraged by the work done by the rest of the Executive and Editorial Boards. I have felt some of the strongest support and friendship throughout this year from those on The Misc. I cannot imagine this year, let alone my entire experience at Vassar, without The Misc, and I will miss it dearly. I already do.