Since I arrived on Fordham University’s campus in the fall of 2023, The Fordham Ram has published 57 issues. For each of those issues, at least one article has borne my name. The title may have changed, from Contributing Writer to News Editor to Editor-in-Chief, but the passion hasn’t.

It’s hard to express my adoration for The Ram and its staff, but I have to try. I love this paper; I have loved it since I set foot on this campus and found my way to the club fair. I love it when I’m out in the field reporting, I love it when I’m up to my ears in print pages, I love it when I’m changing straight apostrophes to curved ones and I even love it when I’m strategically placing buckets to catch water dripping through our ceiling.

My Fordham experience has been shaped by nights in B-52, by hours spent writing articles and conducting interviews. Every time I walk around campus, I am searching for stories; every conversation I overhear in the elevator is a potential pitch. I don’t know how to be a Fordham student without The Ram, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

I might be biased, but I think student journalism is some of the most critical journalism happening right now. College campuses have always been the center of change in the world, and there is no one better to report on it than a college newspaper. When encampments broke out across the country, who reported on it best? College papers. When student visas were being revoked, who got that information out? College papers.

The kind of local newspapers that kept this country running are dying out, except on college campuses. College journalists live in a distinct universe, one where everything they report on is in their backyard, where every source they use is their neighbor and where everything they cover also happens to them.

When I was on the ground at the encampments in May 2023, the people around me weren’t nameless protesters; they were my classmates, my professors and my friends. The NYPD officers I photographed weren’t just standing outside any building; they were on my doorstep. That knowledge meant I understood how they got from one entrance to another; it meant I recognized the members of administration handing out letters of suspension. I might have been a student journalist, but I knew more about Fordham than any of the professional journalists standing at my shoulder.

That’s what student journalism is, that is what it is for — telling stories about what affects college students, from people who know what it means. If you have a question about anything Fordham-related, look to The Ram; we might have your answer. If you want to know what changes are coming to your campus, ask a member of our staff; they will know. If you’ve ever looked at our Instagram, all I ask is that you please keep reading — we’re here for you.

The Ram is many things, but first and foremost, it is a Journal of Record. That means it is our job to record what happens on this campus and how the students feel about it. Talk to us; tell us how you feel, what makes you angry, happy or confused. Open our paper if you want to know why the United Student Government sent that email, or what that event at the University Church was. We aren’t a mysterious club publishing into the void every week; we spend hours writing and editing those articles so that students can understand what is happening on their campus. It’s why I love The Ram so much — because if there is one thing the staff of The Ram has in common, we love the Fordham community. We don’t write these articles for ourselves; we write them for our friends, our professors, our advisors — the people that make this university what it is.

It says it right under our name: “Serving the Fordham University Community Since 1918.” That is who we are, that is what we do.

Now, I would be remiss if I didn’t highlight the people who make me love The Ram so much. Our staff is incredible; I’m so proud of everyone involved with Volume 107. We’ve done some incredible work. To the staff of Volume 108, and to Sienna, Ian, Sarah, Molly, Hannah and Nishanth — I’m so excited to see what you do.

To the News Teams of Volumes 106 and 107, being News Editor wouldn’t have been half as fun without you guys. Being on the News Team is such a wacky job, and only the coolest people get to do it.

To Jonah, our herculean editorial director. I still remember the first budget of Volume 106 and being surprised the Sports Editor dressed so well. Reading your articles each week has been a mirthful, joyous, beguiling, exhilarating experience.

To Jacob, my right-hand man. We’ve come a long way from Dr. Axen’s class, but there’s no one else I’d rather share a desk with. Thank you for your unrelenting support and your knowledge of sports; without it, I would be completely lost.

To Sophie, I cannot believe we spent an entire year on The Ram without ever speaking. I truly could not have done this without you. Who else would sit in B-52 with me until 4 a.m. so I could do my University College Dublin housing application? I hope you find a way to use all the random AP Style knowledge now eternally embedded in your brain.

This newspaper has run for more than 100 years, and I hope it runs for 100 more. So to each and every Fordham student, I just have one message to convey: please keep reading.

Nora Malone, FCRH ‘27, is a medieval studies and English major from Alexandria, Virginia.