a letter to the DU

Dear Daily Universe,

You know, we’ve had some good times over the last semester. But I think it’s best for us to go our separate ways. Trust me, it’s not me, it’s you.

I think our relationship is verging on unhealthy. I spend hours upon hours in your newsroom, reporting, writing, and watching that patch of grass out the window. I have lost countless hours of sleep over articles and have alienated people with my pesky reporting skills. For the past four months, you have defined me. When people ask how I am, I have stopped responding “very well”, and instead give an update on the articles I am working on, sometimes even including an amusing anecdote from the life of a student reporter.

You are a cruel taskmaster and we really have had a rollercoaster relationship. You have teased me with the thrill of the front page, and then brought me back to reality by putting me somewhere in the back of the paper, or worst of all—being web-routed.

Even though it’s been rough, you have taught me a lot. Thanks for pushing me beyond my comfort level, giving me a crash course in deadlines and time-management, helping me overcome my fear of talking on the phone and for helping me build great friendships with my fellow reporters. It has been tough, but totally worth it. You have made me realize that public relations is the career for me.

So here we are, just a few more days until you are out of my life forever and I am free to walk across campus without my official reporter notebook. It’s bittersweet, really. I’ll miss you, but I’ll always have my expired press pass to remind us of the good old days. I’ll go back to my life as a casual DU reader, because despite the occasional typo, you are quite wonderful.

Sincerely,

Michelle