By Lauren del Valle

Editor-in-chief

This year serving as editor-in-chief of The Hofstra Chronicle has been a childhood goal realized. Admittedly it was first rooted in an obsession with Gilmore Girls and my need to be like Rory; but since my youthful frivolities, it grew into a goal to be a journalist advocating for truth.

My four years with The Chronicle have proven that it has the ability to be a platform for accountability journalism and a forum for discussion. The Chronicle is arguably the loudest voice on Hofstra’s campus, and with that role comes responsibility.

When you’re privileged with a platform that can reach a wide audience, it is a journalist’s duty to respect the sacredness of that. This is a commitment to your sources, to your readers and to yourself to provide your community with ethical, fair and well-rounded reporting.

It is also the duty of a newspaper to serve the community by holding the powers that be accountable and to be relentless in your efforts to challenge the status quo.

To my Chronicle staff: I encourage you to continue to demand accountability – that of your peers, the administration and yourselves. I am confident that you will continue to push The Chronicle to strive for greatness and help to effect change.

And to the Hofstra community: I challenge you to utilize The Chronicle as a forum for discussion rather than an easy target for criticism. You cannot effect change unless you participate in the conversation. Join The Chronicle staff in creating a dialogue among yours peers and university faculty and staff to better the place about which we all care so much.

It is easy for readers to forget that the paper’s staff is comprised of a motley crew of fellow students that are just getting their feet wet in their craft. I commend my fellow Chronicle reporters for having the courage to put thousands of copies of their work on newsstands and online each week for their peers to scrutinize.

I have learned so much about a journalist’s challenges and the ethical standards expected of them. I credit my time at The Chronicle with making me a stronger person and preparing me for the challenges I will undoubtedly face on a daily basis in my professional career.

Though so many of us have cycled through the office in the far corner of the student center, and many more after us will inevitably do the same, The Chronicle retains a legacy of student journalists and their dedication to producing a publication that keeps the Hofstra community better informed. I am incredibly proud to have been a small cog in that machine.

It’s been a wild ride, Chronicle. I would not be the person I am without you, and for that I am grateful.