I have always found the term “writer” to be a bit intimidating. It feels intense. Weighted even.
When I first arrived at Vassar way back in ’21, I signed up for every student email list I could get my hands on. Regrettably, The Misc wasn’t one of them. I didn’t think I could call myself a writer, let alone write something that would be deserving of publication.
My journey to The Misc started where all good beginnings do: nursing a rejection. After applying to some journalism and broadcasting internships and not clinching any jobs, it dawned on me that perhaps writing for our campus newspaper might be a good place to start. And so I set out to get in contact with Vassar College’s newspaper of record since 1866.
I got my big break with the News section in the spring of my sophomore year, writing my first article about a change to Vassar’s Housing draw. Coming into the first Tuesday production night in retrospect—this is a Senior Retrospective, one must speak retrospectively after all—feels emblematic of the time I have spent with the paper. Jacques, one of the then News Editors, was waiting by Express to show me how to get to The Misc’s office.
For those who have never made the trek to the office, it’s a bit off of the beaten path, located on the third floor of the college center up a back stairwell that leads to a dimly lit hallway. It’s there, but you might not realize unless you go looking for it.
I sat on the infamous brown couch with Jacques and Charlotte and reviewed my article. I don’t remember the specifics, but I do remember walking out of production night feeling giddy. It was here where I learned how collaborative the writing process could be. And it was also here where the writer’s title began to feel a little less intimidating.
The thing about News is that it’s a continuous mad dash to the finish; writing articles and rewriting articles, anxiously refreshing my email for a source’s delayed response, closed door meetings about how to move forward with a piece—in short, News was, and remains to be, an ever-changing section with no two weeks being alike. Similarly, each semester on The Misc has been markedly different. New people join, people go abroad or graduate. Consequently, I have gotten to know a large smattering of people whom I am lucky enough to call friends.
Throughout my tenure as News Editor, I’ve learned to relish the em dash, despise the Oxford comma, and to never use an ordinal indicator after a date. I’ve experienced the epic highs like the News section having four articles in one issue, none of which were written by an Editor of the section, and undoubtedly some career lows like making edits to an article on the day of print.
I’ll miss working with new writers and encouraging—nay, begging—them to give News a chance. I’ll miss the post Ed Board chats under the lamppost outside Rocky, early bird pilates on Wednesday with my fellow editors, our weekly two plus hour production nights, the end-of-semester potlucks; I’ll even miss live tweeting the VSA meetings with my Co-News Editors. I’ll miss, I’ll miss, I’ll miss.
Having worked on The Misc for several semesters now, I understand how our writing does come with a weight. The Misc serves as a snapshot of the Vassar present, a way to document the Vassar we experience and how we simultaneously love and grapple with it. I have continuously been impressed by the grace and care my fellow Misc writers and editors have had for every article that is produced each week and been inspired by their diligence, dedication and passion. It has been an honor to share in part of that weight for these past few years.
As I reflect on my three years at The Misc, I don’t remember all the specifics but I do know I’m walking away feeling giddy.