Well, my friends, this is it.
I don’t think it’s quite sunk in yet that I’ll no longer be a part of The Rip after this semester. But I always knew this day would come.
I will see the paper in a whole new light. I’ll not be privy to all of the discussions and decisions about its coverage. I’ll not have witnessed the wackiness that tends to occur as production nights progress. I’ll not be aware of the massive amounts of pizza and caffeine consumed to keep the staff functioning as deadline draws near. I will see The Rip from the perspective of an average reader, except that I will smile and remember these times I shared with all of you.
You face difficult times, my friends. Change is not always easy, but I have faith in each and every one of you. If you remember what you’ve learned, you’ll take the paper to heights it has never experienced.
As this chapter of my life comes to a close, I’m reminded of a poem from J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings”:
The Road goes ever on and on
Out from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
Let others follow it who can!
Let them a journey new begin,
But I at last with weary feet
Will turn towards the lighted inn,
My evening-rest and sleep to meet.
My time is ended. The torch is passed. Follow the road, my friends.