There’s a lot that could be said about this university, about this particular academic year, about this uniquely stressful, global crisis. There are hundreds upon thousands of words that could be sung (off key in my case) and shouted from the rooftops about this graduating class, about the bright futures ahead of us all, despite the circumstances. 

But as many of my predecessors have done, I wanted to take the opportunity – my last column as Editor-in-Chief of The Panther – to address both the dangers and heartwarming moments I have encountered in this position. I also want to take a moment to share my thoughts with Chapman’s administration, faculty, staff and students in pursuit of campus harmony. 

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that I characterize this academic year as unprecedented – it certainly has been. Our fall semester started with white supremacist propoganda littered across campus, the first of a number of attacks throughout the academic year. We saw a former U.S. president on our campus (and the event’s subsequent fallout), Sarah Huckabee Sanders and unmatched fever from alumni, a dean running for Congress, a drunk student arrested on campus after a racist and homophobic tyrade – to name a few of the instances this academic year has brought.  

There was nothing that could have prepared me to cover such an active news cycle, and when my fall semester started as Editor-in-Chief, I was terrified to lead my team head first into the fire unlike ever before. I was lucky to come to the job with three years of professional newsroom experience, but with that came a dedication to the newspaper that I was scared wouldn’t be matched. What if my team didn’t want to jump into the inferno with me? What if my gutsy approach to reporting backfired? Despite my hesitations, they jumped off the cliff and into the flames without hesitation, and with the support of a one in a lifetime staff, we became the fire instead of fearing it. 

Having been involved with The Panther since the beginning of my Chapman career, I have seen the gorgeous and ugly sides of this institution. I have befriended what feels like every administrator and professor, all while listening to the very real, very painful campus experiences of students of color, minority students, and students in the LGBTQIA+ community. I know all the Public Safety officers, I could walk the area of campus with my eyes closed I know it so well, and yet I’ve sat on one side of my desk while women who have been assaulted both on and off campus sit on the other, telling me their stories. This job, the role that I furiously love, allowed me to exist in the crossroads and because of that, I’m leaving with an amazing insight into the soul of this university. 

I was profiled by Wilkinson College not too long ago and I said that the worst thing an official, administrator, or professor could do is underestimate the power of young people. I have been a victim of this more times than I can count – as a female, as a journalist, as a woman in academia – only to the fault of the person who underestimated me in the first place. This is a spirit that I know our generation encapsulates – the generation of school shootings, of the war in Iraq, of 9/11. We are the students with immense insight into social change, and despite unpredicted circumstances, I’m only leaving this school with hope in the trailblazing students who will follow in some of the most extraordinary footsteps. 

And while I could go on and on about the lessons I’ve learned, the challenges I’ve encountered and the frustrations of the job, I’ll leave you with this. 

To Chapman administrators and faculty, don’t hide bigotry under the label of free speech. I’ve seen it a number of times, and nothing good has ever come out of it. We are living in a dangerous time for so many people and volatility will only grow if we don’t call out ignorance when we see it. Show all your students that they matter, because they do. Give them the love, support and attention I know you want to, because you truly never know what impact you might have on one student who needs you. You have some extraordinary minds at your institution, don’t forget that. 

To Chapman students, thank you from the bottom of my heart for trusting me to tell your stories, to relay your fears and hopes and desires. Thank you for challenging me, for pushing me to the limits of reporting, for reading and engaging with The Panther every week. This role has been an honor of a lifetime. And finally, to you all who will be gracing this amazing campus in the fall – be fearless in your pursuits. To hell with the people who don’t believe in you, who don’t see your perspectives and experiences as valid. Don’t ever stop challenging what you know, never take anything for face value, and don’t let anyone jerk you around. And always remember, no matter how bleak things may seem, that it only takes one person to change the world. 

Fight on, Panthers. 

Lou