It is customary for the Editor-in-Chief to write a column for the semester’s final edition of The Buchtelite. Some have viewed this as the final opportunity to voice any qualms they may have with the university, its policies and hope that this final column will right any injustice or wrongdoing that they had experienced during their college career.

I am choosing to take a different route, instead I wish to thank everyone who has helped make my college experience one of the best experiences of my life.

From the moment I walked onto this campus as an undergraduate theatre major, I felt like I belonged and that my professors really cared about me. I am sure my theatre professors will agree learning to really open myself up and listen to the world around me was a challenge for me at first and honestly, a bit frightening.

I still can hear Jim Slowiak in the theater department telling me, “Heather, you are not listening, you just have to listen” when I was trying to stage manage plays and truly understand what I was seeing.

It was because of Jim that I can truly listen to the stories that my sources tell me today as reporter. Whenever I find myself getting overwhelmed or caught up with all the information they are telling me, I remember what Jim said and just listen.

Another professor I am deeply grateful to is Dr. Val Pipps. It was in his newswriting class that I discovered what I wanted to do for the rest of my life and that was be a reporter. The lessons I learned in his class and also as Editor-in-Chief will never be forgotten.

Now for that one professor who will be hard to forget and even harder to say goodbye to, Dr. Hal Foster.
“Have you ever really had a teacher? One who saw you as a raw but precious thing, a jewel that, with wisdom, could be polished to a proud shine? If you are lucky enough to find your way to such teachers, you will always find your way back.” said Mitch Albom in “Tuesdays with Morrie.”

Dr. Foster always was there to lift me up and provide encouragement when I needed it most. He is a educator who truly cares about his students and can sense when they need to hear a something uplifting. What Dr. Foster doesn’t know is how much his words and actions as a professor truly mean to his students.

They are not something that will just stay with us for a semester, but for the rest of our lives. Dr. Foster thank you for everything you have taught me. You didn’t just provide me with the skills to be a teacher, you taught me about life.

Finally, it is time to say goodbye to the people that I have spent every Monday and Wednesday night with, the 2012-13 Buchtelite Staff. I don’t look at you as my co-workers, but as my friends. It was an honor to work with each and every one of you and it is even harder to say good bye.

I hope you have all learned something during your experience at the paper because you certainly
have taught me a lot. You all are an extraordinarily talented bunch. I thank
you all for your hard work and dedication and will miss you more than words can say.

Heather Beyer, Editor-in-Chief