Addison Smith | Opinions Editor
Goodbye isn’t a friendly word. Goodbye is an ending. When you say “goodbye” to someone or someplace, there’s an underlying connotation that you won’t see that person again and you’ll never return to that place again. It seems final, it seems like a definite end to a friendship, partnership or life occurrence. Goodbye isn’t a nice word, everything it elicits isn’t pretty.
I’ve been at The Duquesne Duke for a solid four years. I started as a wide-eyed freshman girl who skipped half of freshman orientation week to attend newspaper meetings. I solely wanted to write about sports, because sports stories felt the most comfortable to me. Then, I started branching out and writing opinions columns, news stories and movie reviews. At a certain point, I became more comfortable in the newsroom and as a writer, so I branched out and began to “diversify my portfolio.”
I gave up a lot to be a member of the newspaper, to be quite honest. I gave up dinners with friends to cover basketball and soccer games. I gave up going out to parties in Oakland because basketball games would end later than expected, and I would write the stories right after the game and not leave my room until I was done. I was, and still am, an overachiever and a “try-hard.” Unless something is done to perfection, I’m not happy. And if there’s a ladder I can climb to the top of, I will drop everything I am doing to climb it.
There were nights that I would fall asleep on the newsroom’s sofa, only to be awakened by the lull of “Closing Time” playing over someone’s computer speakers at 2:30 in the morning. I never scheduled myself for 9:25 classes on Thursday mornings due to the lack of sleep from the night before. Although, this year, we have become more efficient, typically leaving around 11 p.m., the long nights will probably be the nights I remember the most.
I also made some of my greatest friends at Duquesne in the newsroom. Although we all give each other a hard time, I think everybody on staff would admit (with a gun pointed to his or her head) that deep, deep down we all truly care about each other. But, as stated earlier, I am not saying “goodbye” to anyone; this staff is one of the reasons why that word feels so dirty. Nobody here will ever be completely out of my life, therefore, I have no reason to say goodbye to the newsroom.
However, I do have to say “see you later” to the newsroom and the people in it. “Goodbye” obviously isn’t the right word, as I am sure we will all see each other along the way (and in one week at a Pirates game). High school friends come and go, even if some of my friends and I remained close. College friends are supposed to be more permanent, more forever.
I have many favorite memories from my time at the newspaper, but one that will always stick out in my mind is when Pat, Fred and I took a field trip to Philadelphia. Then, covering any and all events at the Carnegie Museums with Fred and Sam will always be a close second.
Needless to say, I have many fond memories with nearly everyone in this newsroom. From Wendy’s nights to Milano’s nights to long nights in the newsroom, there are plenty of things to remember and hold onto.
So, a kind and loving see you later to: Fred, Seth, Sam, Pat, Joey, Rebekah, Saul, Leah, Sean, Julian, Kaye, Claire, Zach, Bobby, Katie Walsh and Chad.
Thank you all for everything you have ever done for me, and just know this isn’t goodbye, this is an extended “maybe next time” and a kind reminder to play “Closing Time” every week, even with us old people who started the tradition gone. Keep up the good work, and I’ll see you sooner than you think.
