As the semester closes, it is worth noting that, for the Hustler and InsideVandy.com, these past few months have been a period of improvement of which the staff should be proud.

The beginning was not easy. A new, inexperienced editor and a relatively young staff had to deal with a loss of credibility that had placed the paper and Web site in a precarious position, journalistically speaking. There were issues of efficiency, quality and scope that required reforming. Readers needed a reason to trust their only frequent source of student-produced news.

The reason was found by returning to the basics of journalism. What stories should a newspaper cover? How should those stories be covered? What are the mechanics of a sound piece of reporting? How can a staff of student journalists accomplish this seemingly daunting task efficiently?

Answering these questions was the task this staff took on, and the result has been a newspaper and Web site that covers the Vanderbilt community more completely, more concisely and more efficiently. Every person involved with the production of our student media enterprise contributed in his own way to the success this semester.
The semester was certainly not without mistakes, errors and inefficiencies. To quote Keats, failure is “the highway to success,” and this staff has learned from small failures to create a great success.

A few editorial decisions throughout the semester were sharply criticized, and one such decision even elicited a visit from officers in your student government. The criticisms were taken and considered seriously. It should be known that all of these decisions were made with the intention of providing the news to the Vanderbilt community in the best possible way.

The editorial columns themselves were often criticized as well. Written by one person rather than an editorial board, the editorials were an experiment in providing controversial opinions on mostly campus and local news. The hope was that these editorials would provoke thought and discussion on news items. Per the many letters and comment responses on InsideVandy.com, perhaps this goal was also reached.

Most importantly, when it came to covering the news, from Greek life and dining halls to the administration and the Medical Center, the Hustler and InsideVandy.com achieved great success. Improvement was evident with each subsequent issue, and as the news sections of today and Monday’s paper have shown, the scope of the coverage was greatly increased. The staff achieved this with journalistic integrity and scruples. Thank you to every one of them.

I also want to thank the readers for making the Hustler and InsideVandy.com your source for news. It was an honor to serve the Vanderbilt community. Thank you.— Michael Warren