Dear reader,
How bittersweet to be writing my last letter to you as editor in chief. For the past year, the Foghorn has been my top priority and my biggest pride.
With a team of brand-new editors, the Foghorn published 224 stories this academic year covering USF and San Francisco. We ran investigative reports on a sports department lawsuit, USF’s proposed “modern policing” program, the state of Bon Appetit, the Presentation Theater, and USF’s sustainability commitments. Our news section reflected campus activism and the current moment with reports on Roe v. Wade, politics in Iran, the Half Moon Bay shooting, and the student-led Day of Refusal. In the scene section, we highlighted student events like Dons Night Out and Donaroo, the PASJ Music Showcases, Rocky Horror Picture Show, and a Holi celebration. We featured local theaters and eateries and covered visits from distinguished guests like Michael Franti, Margaret Atwood, and Kal Penn.
In our staff editorials, we asked readers to think about issues as local as our campus’ history with Native Americans to issues as large as outer space and how we are polluting it. Our opinion section reflected what USF students care about. They submitted pieces on the rise of AI, the death of Queen Elizabeth, and the place of women in politics. We also learned what students need on campus through op-eds about the price of period products and the lack of support for Latine student organizations.
Our sports section branched out with in-depth player profiles, features on groups like the Chess Club and the Esports team, and sports opinions on Bill Russell’s legacy, the importance of compassion in coaching, and concerns over the use of turf in athletics.
With the help of USFtv, our team also revived the FogPod this year and released six episodes, one per month. Thank you so much to Hersh Singh and Trista Ngo, our USFtv correspondents, for your creativity and collaboration on the podcast and news brief videos.
In my initial letter from the editor, I proposed a student-led initiative to change our mascot, Don Francisco, because of his colonial likeness. In December, ASUSF Senate passed a resolution that set the initiative in motion, and this spring formed a multi-department working group to see the change through over the course of the next academic year. I am grateful to all students and alumni who submitted a design or name change for the new mascot. Your ideas are being passed to the task force and helping to improve USF’s culture from the ground up.
None of these accomplishments would be possible or mean anything if I didn’t have the best people around me. Despite the long editing hours that often took a toll, I looked forward to coming to work at the Foghorn office every time. This paper made room for a group of intelligent and kind people to bond over a shared passion, and it allowed me to make the kinds of friends people hope to make in college.
The following 18 people from both semesters’ Foghorn staff held the paper to a high standard through the commitment they brought to the table: Savannah Dewberry, Megan Robertson, Nia Ratliff, Sage Mace, Oliver River Satalich, Jordan Premmer, Chase Darden, John Paolo, Taleah Johnson, Jordan DelFiugo, Sophia McCrackin, Elise Emard, Dominique Cadenas Calvo, Ava Lord, Kristen Johnson, Katie Inthavong, Maria Zaied, and Hayley Diemar. Thank you all so much.
I need to spend some time thanking one person in particular, though. Our Managing Editor, Nora Ward, has been by my side through every single up and down, staying up with me into the late hours of the night to make sure the paper was the best it could be. On one rare occasion, when Nora was not there during a tough moment, I wished aloud for her to be there and I compared her to caffeine. Thank you, Nora, for being there for the Foghorn 24/7, for offering so much creativity to its pages, and for being a joy to be around through all of it. Your generosity will send you anywhere you want to go, friend.
As a publication, the Foghorn has Teresa Moore to thank for its excellence. She began advising the paper in 2002 and has seen it evolve over the years — never performing prior review or acting as an editor, but reading all of our published stories closely and offering tips. Professor Moore is a seasoned journalist who has written for the San Francisco Chronicle and currently writes for the San Francisco Examiner. She was there for me in times of stress, providing clear-headed and invaluable advice. Last month, Professor Moore won the Student Organization Award for Excellence in Advising. She deserves those flowers.
I’m lucky to have had a predecessor, Lucia Verzola, who saw that I could do this work before I could see it. Lucia showed me the ropes and trusted me to make this experience my own. Thank you to former Foghorn editors Callie Fausey and Julian Sorapuru for encouraging me. Perhaps more than anyone, thank you so much to the Foghorn representative at the 2019 Fall Involvement Fair for convincing me to write my name down on the sign-up sheet. I have written 45 stories and held three staff positions at the paper since that day.
I am in awe of Megan Robertson, our next editor in chief. Megan began writing for the Foghorn in 2021, joined our staff as a reporter in 2022, and worked as news editor last semester. She has shown unparalleled commitment to the Foghorn through all of her work for us and has shown that she can remain composed after long nights and hard times. She began working on a smooth transition for next year’s Foghorn staff two months ago from her study abroad in Paris and formed an exciting staff last week. For all of these reasons, I have no doubts that Megan will honor the Foghorn and add to its excellence next year.
To Megan and the rest of next year’s talented staff, cherish every part of this experience. All of it is teaching you something and all of it is helping you grow. And to you, loyal Foghorn readers, thank you, thank you, thank you. It’s your interest and feedback that drives the paper forward.
I will miss the Foghorn dearly, but I can’t wait to read it with fresh eyes. You will find me on campus next year, fervently flipping through the newest Foghorn each week.
Sincerely,
Zoe Binder
