Well, this is going to be fun!
Welcome to the first edition of the Good Five Cent Cigar of 2021 and, coincidentally, the first edition with me as editor-in-chief. This feels really special.
I always imagined my Cigar firsts as editor-in-chief would look different. I’d be sitting at the head of our editorial table, surrounded by nervous freshmen sitting in one of our 100 broken wheely chairs, many of which would remind me of myself just a few years ago. I’d be in the basement of the Memorial Union until 3 a.m. with my editorial board on a Thursday morning trying to finish the pages of the paper so we can all go home and go to bed. I’d be peacefully taking a nap on the ancient floral couch in the Cigar Office on Thursday morning in between classes after the late night.
Things don’t look like that right now, and that’s OK.
I’ve been thinking about this moment for a very long time, and with that comes excitement. Leading the Cigar is a major accomplishment and privilege to me, and one I feel extremely grateful to have. And although I thought in my head it would pan out one way, admittedly, I don’t care what it looks like anymore. I’m just happy to be here.
While I certainly miss seeing the faces of the other editorial board members each and every day, I take solace in the fact that we’re still going to produce the best newspaper possible under such challenging conditions.
What you’re reading right now is the culmination of hours of hard work and a constant state of exhaustion by a lot of college students. The newly-elected editorial board of the Cigar has already proved to be a group of strong journalists, putting their all into this very special edition of the paper that many of us are highly invested in.
We’re dedicated to producing a newspaper once a week, but we’ve also grown into multimedia journalists. We create a weekly newscast. We’re crushing it on social media (@rhodycigar!). We recently started a podcast called Our Five Cents. The Cigar is expanding the ways in which we cover the Kingston campus so that we can help every student stay informed in whatever way they prefer.
I have to specifically thank my current staff for all the hard work they’ve already put in for this issue alone: Nicole Wagner, Jason Phillips, Adam Zangari, Kayla Laguerre-Lewis, Will Pipicelli, Imani Fleming, Leah Crowley, Mary Lind, James McIntosh and Evan McAlice. And of course, our compositor, Susan Sancomb.
I also must emphasize that I would not be in this position without both Ian Weiner and Theresa Brown. These two previous editors pushed me to take on daunting tasks and be the best that I could be for the Cigar. They believed in me, and they told me they believed in me, and that mattered. And that’s why I’m writing this right now.
I feel genuinely honored to be the leader of this organization at such an important time in world history, as well as in Cigar history. Just in case you missed the headline, the Cigar turns 50 this year. Fifty years of editors, reporters, newsroom arguments, late nights and the utmost reverence for the Associated Press stylebook.
Considering the Cigar would likely not exist as it does today without founding-member-turned-current-chair-of-the-journalism-department John Pantalone, I have to thank him for both what he did for the Cigar 50 years ago and for all the helpful guidance he provides us with now. Your input is always appreciated, and thank you for pushing us.
Is it semi-scary to be in charge of an institution that has clearly withstood the test of time such as the Cigar? It certainly is, but I feel up for the challenge despite the nerves. Time to get to work.
But first, happy birthday to my little newspaper. Here’s to 50 more years of the Good Five Cent Cigar and a successful semester filled with quality journalism.