Dear Reader,
This time last year, we found out that we would be the new leaders of The Sandspur. We inherited a student organization that had grown rapidly over the past year, in terms of both quality and breadth. At the same time, we faced new challenges.
With many staff members graduating, we were tasked with continuing the existing momentum while building a new community.
At the start of the fall semester, we hit the ground running. We decided we wanted to produce a back-to-school print edition, which needed to be ready for distribution on the first day of classes. We arrived to campus a week early, had to quickly learn to use InDesign, and assembled the issue with articles submitted by writers who volunteered over the summer. With three days to meet a deadline, we spent large chunks of time in the student media room, and at one point, we stayed up until 4 a.m. working.
This initial experience prepared us to handle any challenge that would be thrown at us throughout the year. More importantly, it helped demonstrate that we were motivated and serious about expanding The Sandspur’s reach on campus. One of our goals for the year was to foster a stronger team environment and to emphasize article assignment meetings as a collaborative space. We also wanted to increase communication among staff and remind each member that they were playing a role in contributing to a larger product.
As the spring semester comes to a close, we are proud of the work produced by our staff and the community we have been able to bring together. It’s been incredibly rewarding to see growth in areas like sports coverage and features focused on faculty and students. Still, there continues to be room for growth. We hope to see an even greater diversity of student perspectives reflected in the paper, across every department at Rollins.
That said, we are excited to hand off our roles to Ali Becker, the incoming Editor-in-Chief, and Molly Higgins, the incoming Managing Editor. We look forward to seeing how the paper continues to evolve under their leadership.
Working at The Sandspur has been instrumental in shaping our college experience. From learning about journalism to building bonds with peers we would not have met otherwise, we feel immense gratitude to have played a part in strengthening a core facet of campus involvement.
To our fellow graduating class of 2026: congratulations!
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