Looking back at 4 months

It's hard to believe how fast the semester went by. The humid August days when we first returned to the newsroom seem like only yesterday, but many things have changed. My staff and I lived and worked through one of our nation's darkest days. \nSept. 11 was a day that none of us could have predicted or imagined. All of us in the newsroom watched the events unfold that day as if it were a movie. We all just wanted the horror of the day to end, but we realized we had a job to do. \nAfter producing a regular and special edition, the staff was out the door around 2 a.m. and off to the printer. We were tired, but we were back to work the next morning. \nThis is what the IDS does. Through good and bad, the staff is in its offices in Ernie Pyle Hall diligently working to bring the campus and community well-balanced and thorough coverage. \nWhile the events of Sept. 11 shaped our semester, we still managed to cover a broad array of news. The one-year anniversary of the Knight firing was remembered with a four-page special insert, including interviews with many of the key players. \nWe tried many different things this semester, including LiveUpdate and the Thursday edition. Through LiveUpdate, football game statistics were broadcast live on our Web site in partnership with WIUS student radio. Thursday edition went off without a hitch in large part because of our features and design desks. Readers were able to pick up Thursday's paper and find a front page feature, student voice on the opinion page and IDS Weekend.\nThrough our staff editorials we fought for public access to the athletics director, University personnel files and the state legislature. We continued to hold our administrators to the highest level and asked some to take a pay cut to deal with the tightening of the University's budget. \nToday is the last paper for the fall semester. The IDS is taking a break to study for finals and gear up for the spring semester. Christina Jewett will be taking the reins next semester to continue to uphold the IDS tradition. \nThis has been a wonderful semester and I've enjoyed my time as editor. I met some wonderful people through this process, including student leaders, administrators and readers. It has been an honor to work with so many different and talented people. \nI also want to extend a special thank you to our publisher, David Adams, who has been a true inspiration to the IDS for the past 13 years. He leaves next semester for a teaching position at Hawaii-Pacific University. He is a tremendous asset to our staff and a huge advocate of student press and the First Amendment. Thanks for everything Dave, we will sorely miss you next year. \nAnd lastly, we thank you, our readers, for picking up the paper every day and trusting us to bring you the news. The IDS staff devotes so much time into the 134-year tradition because we love to be a part of your lives. Your letters to the editor, reader surveys and continued support do not go unnoticed. Thanks for reading.