The Pendulum
SPECIAL EDITION
Tuesday, October 26, 2004 • Page 7
Dear Fellow Members of the Elon
Community:
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investments you own and why you
own them?
For a consultation without any cos
or obligation, to help you answer
these questions, call today.
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at Elon and learn how you can nrsake a
difference in others’ lives, and your own.
Wednesday, October 27
Peace Corps Table
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Peace Corps Info Session
4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
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Past editors reflect on news,
memories that mattered most
Bound and determined^ LaRock gets by with a little
help from her friends
Taresa LaRock
peace Corps
For more hifo, contact
Brianna
(800)424-8580x1043
.-ji-,hiM«i>6acecorps.g
Additional
reflections
are featured
on pages
14-15.
Editor in Chief '01
It’s impossible to
write about all I learned
inside the walls of the
Pendulum office.
Memories overwhelm
me - late nights, laugh
ter, fear and, every
Thursday morning, a
rush of happiness
and pride.
I have to first
tell you I was, by
no means, a perfect
Pendulum editor. I
was overextended,
stubborn and as my
former staff will
tell you, forgetful.
The smartest
thing I did was surround myself
with people who were willing to
work for me, with me and around
me; each of these things its own
obstacle. The people on my staff
were smart, funny and dedicated.
They were my best friends. And
though many of them have drifted
out of my life, I will never forget
the heart they put into their work
and working with me.
I was editor because one pro
fessor took the time to show me I
could do anything. When I sat in
Brad Hamm’s office and listened
to him tell me about the differ
ence I could make, I was scared
but excited. And the day I inter
viewed for the job, I met opposi
tion and skepticism. I met my
competition.
I also met Janna Anderson. I
don’t know if everyone on the
media board thought
the decision to hire me
was the best one, but I
got the job. And with
the job, I inherited an
incredible support net
work, starting with
Janna. She taught me
what hard work and
effort really meant.
I was editor dur
ing a total staff
overhaul. Call it a
revolt or a protest,
but I call it a bless
ing. I started from
scratch. And my
staff rebuilt The
Pendulum into
what it was sup
posed to be. It taught me pride.
I was editor when Megan
Tripp died while studying in
Australia with a group of Elon
students. It was my first paper as
editor in chief, and that week
taught us about loss, grief and
grace under pressure. It taught us
how to turn a tragic moment into
a beautiful memorial of a young
woman, a study abroad trip, and a
group of students who bonded
because of it all. It taught me The
Pendulum didn’t always have to
be about what I thought was
funny or smart or newsworthy,
but what the student body wanted
and needed.
I was editor on Sept. 11,2001.1
remember the small TV we
brought into the office, the sense of
Morrow -BarWiveU/
Bed/
336-228-1340
www.morrowbarnwell.com
426 West Front Street
Burlington, NC 27215
responsibility we felt, and the urge
to help. We were stunned, speech
less and afraid. Even in a small
North Carolina town, we felt fear. I
remember College Coffee and the
way we prayed and came together
in confusion and terror because we
wanted news and comfort.
What could we do? We made a
great paper that night. I can’t begin
to express what that day taught us.
I was editor when Elon finished
construction on Rhodes Stadium —
that massive, impressive structure
that would bring together our stu
dent body the way nothing had
before. The spirit and pride we felt
merited a special stadium edition
that was handed out the day of the
opening. It was a challenge the
staff completed along with the reg
ular weekly paper. That week
taught us about pushing ourselves
and breaking limits. It taught me
how dedicated a staff I really had.
I was editor when one of my
best friends lost an SGA election. I
sat in on the vote tally, I knew in
advance he had lost. I knew that in
a few hours, we would gather in
Moseley Center to hear the results,
and I would have to be there as an
editor instead of a friend. That day
I learned I had the most caring
managing editor The Pendulum
had ever seen.
Jennifer Guarino knew I felt
conflicted and sad. She realized I
needed to be a friend that night.
She and the rest of the staff took
over and let me do that. I knew
from the first time we met I would
like Jen and work well with her -
but that night she taught me what
being a friend meant. And she
showed me she would become a
wonderful editor in chief.
The lessons I learned at The
Pendulum have shaped my life.
Those people, who I spent count
less hours working with and lov
ing, have shaped my life. The
Pendulum is a paper, but the peo
ple who work there are a family. I
miss my family.