Serving the University of Toledo community since 1919.

Pitrof: New year, new IC

Amanda Pitrof, Editor-in-Chief

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I have been so very excited to start printing issues of the IC again!

I know how that sounds, but I mean it. I’m super excited.

I have been working at three jobs — The Independent Collegian, The Toledo Journal and Jimmy John’s — to save up money for school and what comes after these last two semesters.

I liked my jobs very much; they were good work that helped me learn skills I will need in the future, and I got some extra cash from it.

However, I have really missed publishing the IC, the first paper I became a part of.

It’s like coming home. Being the editor-in-chief, I get to be surrounded by this environment I love, working with a wonderful family of staff and doing work I enjoy. This feeling of excitement — paired with the fresh set of highlighters and unused pads of Post-It notes that I am guaranteed to buy every August — is my favorite part of college.

Sure, my job is stressful. I come in around 11 a.m. Tuesday morning — only leaving the office for class or to venture to the Student Union in a search for food and caffeine — and work until 3 a.m. Wednesday morning. The work I do isn’t easy, either; with five different sections, copy editors and my adviser all asking me to do things at the same time, I sometimes wish there were two of me to split the work up.

And, of course, deadline night just wouldn’t be the same without some minor catastrophe. Stories falling through, breaking news happening at 10 p.m., and drastic changes to the paper’s layout at 1 a.m. are all regular occurrences that I have learned to expect and take care of.

All the stress and work is completely worth it, though. It’s worth it to know I can be a part of an organization like this that provides readers with important, necessary and interesting information. All I want is to help, and the paper allows me to do that in the best way I can.

In spite of some people’s negative perspective of the media, I am very excited about the role I get to play. I have the opportunity to provide unbiased facts about current events, something readers may not see without reading our stories about them. I get the chance to shine a spotlight on interesting things I learn by writing stories about them and going in-depth about their pros and cons. I have the honor of giving a voice to people who otherwise would not have been heard.

I get to help everyone in a way that few at this university can, and I couldn’t be more proud.

This pride I feel is reflected throughout the newsroom in the editors and writers, as well as in our mission statement. We recently updated it to help ensure that we provide the best news coverage we can, and all of us proudly hold ourselves accountable by this statement:

The mission of The Independent Collegian is to provide honest, reliable and truth-seeking journalism to the University of Toledo community.

We will do this by:

  • Teaching the next generation of media creators and consumers the skills and qualities they need to excel.
  • Holding ourselves to high standards of honesty, reliability, accuracy and transparency, even if the results are unpopular or inconvenient.
  • Providing quality content that is both engaging and relevant.
  • Serving as a voice for the UT community, especially the students, both through our own content and by providing ways for others to express their ideas.
  • Using our influence to advocate positive change in our community.
  • Caring for our community and acting in a spirit of collaboration, while never forgetting to serve as an independent voice.

We do this out of love for our community and belief in its potential to create a better world, which can only be achieved if every individual seizes the opportunities that come from knowledge.

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Serving the University of Toledo community since 1919.
Pitrof: New year, new IC