There’s a lot of information about The Whit in this week’s issue—numbers, facts, and testimonials about what happened to us and how we will move forward. What I want to share in this opinion piece is not a reiteration of that, but rather a personal account of optimism as to why this new circumstance is an opportunity.
Since the beginning of my time at The Whit sophomore year, writing, reporting, and my role as a journalist quickly became part of my identity. Just as much, maybe even more so than my hobbies, my humor, my physical appearance, or my background. It has been, and continues to be my biggest sense of pride and the driving factor in every single thing that I do. I often joke that my career is my boyfriend due to how much time and how much love it takes up in my life and my heart. It’s something that every person who knows me knows to be true.
“Oh you’re the reporter girl,” says a mutual friend over loud, bass-boosted music in a basement.
“Don’t quote me on this and put it in some article but…” said a guy I matched with on a dating app.
“Madi! I just read your recent article, keep doing what you’re doing,” says one of my weekly regulars at the sports bar, despite it being 30 minutes away from Rowan’s campus.
I’ve cried many tears at my computer or my office desk, some from a place of love, some from celebration, some from anger when Indesign isn’t working, and some due to moving sentences written by my fellow colleagues, or quotes from sources who have been gracious enough to open up to me. To say I’m any less than 100% invested in every task, every hour, and every second of my journalistic experience, would be spreading misinformation.
This week especially– that identity and the passion for where I create have taken priority over everything else.
When I first caught news of The Whit’s recent 35% budget slash, it mirrored the feeling of losing a loved one. While that may sound dramatic, this was the first time in my career as a journalist that I observed the lack of understanding of the role that student journalists are tasked with fulfilling.
We are the people who show up for the Rowan community without fail, every single day. We hold the people who have the power to change your college experience accountable for their actions and policies. We search for answers to your questions. We take time to listen to your stories. We share your concerns, your accomplishments, your successes, and your work with the entirety of the Glassboro ecosystem.
To hear that $11K was shaved off of our budget, which will likely prevent us from even printing our newspapers weekly felt like a slap in the face. I realized quickly the impact that this decision may potentially have on our weekly operation and the level at which we can perform.
For those of you who were not present at the budget hearing, I’ll repeat now what I said in front of the student body. I’ll explain why printing a newspaper is key to maintaining the same integrity, and operation moving forward:
“I believe that a hard, physical copy of The Whit is necessary due to the rise in AI, social media, and technology. While one could argue that the digital landscape is only growing exponentially, this leads to carefully curated, specifically targeted content pushed to each person’s phone. When you open up a physical newspaper, you are opening up something that over 20 people worked to make. You are reading words that come from people, not Chat GPT. You are looking at pages and photos that are designed by human beings. You have a person, with ethics reading each word, and checking for accuracy. When you open up a newspaper, you have the opportunity to read about sports, news, art, climate, and policy in one, twenty-page document that is completely free to Rowan students and faculty. To rid the university of this is to contribute to the growing issue of misinformation that plagues our generation.
I celebrate the fact that student organizations are seeing budget increases. I am enthused to see how large and diverse our campus is. However, when The Whit takes a budget slash that prevents it from operating at a high standard, these clubs will no longer receive the same coverage which in turn silences their accomplishments and their work on campus.
Without a student newspaper, the stories of Rowan students will die from the sickness of silence. The story of our next 100 years will cease to be told.”
After myself and several of my colleagues voiced concerns, we were met with laughter as a result of an anonymous comment from a senator at large who loudly announced that he thinks SGA should, “defund The Whit and equally distribute the money to every other club.”
To get up in front of representatives from the entire student body is courageous and it is bold, to be laughed at by peers for fighting to keep them informed was appalling.
In my years of experience reporting at The Whit, I’ve met entrepreneurs, scientists, educators, administrators, and politicians who all have very different career paths than my own. Never once have I ever felt the need to make someone feel small for pursuing their passion because it was different from mine.
And that is the reality of being a student journalist in the age of social media and misinformation. You spend every single day listening to others and communicating their story with the public, treating them with the care and thoroughness that you would your own. Only to be told that journalism is a “dying field,” by someone who merely doesn’t understand it. Seeing this attitude from my peers crushed me initially, but has now turned into fuel, into motivation to rise and be better than ever.
To create opportunity from adversity is something that the entrepreneurs and researchers I’ve had the chance to write about have taught me– and I will be taking that lesson with me as The Whit adapts to our new situation. I am certain that we will innovate, we will create, and we will grow into better journalists and better people.
Anecdotally, in my life, I have always felt some sort of connection with the universe. I believe that every person, every situation, and every single setback has only helped me get to where I need to be. During one of the worst moments of my professional career, I had the opportunity to see one of these inexplicable, serendipitous signs shine through, reassuring me that if anyone can handle this, it’s myself and my team.
Before the budget hearing, I spent a lot of time reflecting, coming up with ideas, and things to say to convince people that the industry that I find integral to society should mean something to them too.
Just when it felt like we had lost hope in finding a silver lining, I looked down and saw a glimmer of a small pearl in my lunch box. Before the word “defeated” slipped out of my mouth I found my late grandmother and grandfather’s rings which were left to me, which at that point, had been missing for seven months. Since their disappearance, I had scoured every inch of my house, my car, my work uniforms, and my parent’s house looking for these two pieces of jewelry. No matter how many times I looked, they were nowhere to be found.
Prior to losing them, I wore these rings every single day. I kept them constantly in my sight as a reminder that I have angels who are with me, giving me the courage and giving me strength to achieve fearlessly, to bring my wildest dreams to fruition.
While it may or may not have been a sign from the universe, I am certain that there was a reason why they turned up just before my peers and I spoke up publically for something we care about. Upon placing the rings back where they belonged, on my two middle fingers, I reminded myself that there was a reason why this happened. It may not be obvious right now, but retrospectively, I’m confident that myself and The Whit staff will look back on this week with gratitude.
If anyone is capable of changing, adapting, or growing it is a group of hard-working, enterprising, intelligent journalists. We do it every single day. We are not going anywhere, we are only going to become louder, get more passionate, and produce work that knocks our current personal bests out of the ballpark. The Whit will be even more present at Rowan University. It will reach every department, every student, and every person in this town.
I am stepping into my new role as Editor-in-Chief and I am taking the past three days as a sign. A reminder to adapt and to be creative. A wake-up call.
As the centennial year comes to an end, I am certain and I am determined to make sure that the story of the next 100 years will be told. It will be told loudly, and though some may try to stifle the truth under piles of press releases and marketing ploys– the voices of our community, and our students will be heard.
For comments/questions about this story DM us on Instagram @thewhitatrowan or email thewhit.opinion@gmail.com
