I looked back at the first email I ever sent about The Miscellany News. It was addressed to Fall 2020 Editor-in-Chief Lucy Leonard, announcing that I was planning to attend the Ed Board meeting that Wednesday night. It read, “I hope you’re having a nice weekend so far! I’m a first-year planning on joining the Miscellany News, and I wanted to reach out and let you know I’m planning to attend the next meeting this coming Wednesday. I meant to go last Wednesday but I got bogged down in studying for my Econ midterm the next day. Just wanted to let you know in advance so you know to expect me!”
Who was I, even? I’m actually perplexed by the confidence that first-year me possessed. Little did I know how fateful that email would be.
Not long after this, I’d email Lucy with an article idea. I wanted to write about campus reactions to the 2020 presidential elections. I’d had my nose in the New York Times page covering the elections for the better part of a week, so nothing made more sense than to channel it into an article of my own. I reached out to a handful of campus orgs, some of which are now defunct: Vassar Democrats, Vassar Leftist Union, even Vassar Republicans (yes, that existed).
I wrote a tome. I think I approached it more like a passion-project-turned-research-paper than a news article in a campus publication. I remember the moment I opened up the Google Doc to a slew of edits. The editors took out whole paragraphs, rearranged whole sections. It was that moment when I realized the Misc meant business. This wasn’t your run of the mill campus newspaper. This was real journalism. And it was exciting.
I wrote some of my favorite articles my first year. Interviews with Arlington businesses struggling during COVID, updates about the campus vaccine rollout. There was trial and error for sure, but I enjoyed the process. Speaking to members of the community brought me out of my comfort zone, and helped me stay on the pulse of campus during an isolating time. I loved seeing my work in print, feeling like a part of this monumental weekly effort.
My sophomore year, I was asked to apply for News Editor by outgoing incumbent Annabelle Wang. This came as a big surprise. From my perspective, I hadn’t done a whole lot. But evidently the work I had done was enough for them to take note. It was validating. The Misc has always been rewarding in a way that academics couldn’t be. More immediate, more tangible, more personal.
My first editorial position was a trial by fire. As co-news editors, Jacques and I were forced to deal with our share of scandal. The JCJ controversy, a fatal shooting in Poughkeepsie, COVID and then COVID some more. There were times of imposter syndrome, wondering if I was the best person for the job. My time as News Editor overlapped with a really challenging period in my academic and personal life. Adjusting to college in the post-pandemic period was harder than I give myself credit for. I suffered more than a few heartbreaking losses, failed friendships and disappointments. The Misc was the one thing I had energy for week after week, the constant that kept me somewhat sane.
I took a step back from the paper when I went abroad, but I missed it. Something about the stillness of not having the Misc in my life was off-putting to me. I dove headfirst back into it as Managing Editor the following fall; I felt so privileged to have been entrusted with a position like this. Like my time served as News Editor, my time on exec was both challenging and rewarding. We entered amid a campus upheaval in response to rampant gender pay discrimination at Vassar, which several professors had bravely sued to redress. Then, we had to grapple with the onslaught of news and opinions on the nightmarish war in Gaza. Those were difficult weeks, and we had our moments of doubt and frustration. But I think we left the paper stronger than we found it, establishing a formal comment policy and hate speech policy for the first time ever. I’m proud of the work we did.
I’m sad to be saying goodbye to this paper that was there for me through some of my hardest times at Vassar. I love journalism and I want to keep writing, but I’m not sure right now what form that will take or what venue best suits it. I just know I’m glad I took the opportunity while I had it, and I’ll always be grateful to the Misc for that. I cherish the friends I made on this paper. I’ve had the privilege of knowing so many kind and driven people through the Misc, the kind of people I look up to. I’m in awe of each and every one of you.
Pour one out for the Misc,
Will Sorge