A farewell from the 131st board

As the 131st Managing Board's time at the helm of the The Daily Princetonian comes to an end today, we're talking about the things we're not going to miss about being editors: staying up late, canceling on our friends and family, editing a story that needs lots and lots of work.

But that's just so that we don't have to think about all the things that we're going to miss: Late nights spent gossiping once the paper's done and we're procrastinating on our schoolwork. Finding our closest friends in the newsroom and knowing we don't need to schedule times to see each other because we'll all be in the office eventually. Editing a well-reported, well-written story that we know will make us proud when it runs the the next morning.

When we became editors almost a year ago, the prospect of putting out 134 papers was both overwhelming and exciting. After working as reporters, photographers, designers and copy readers, the thought of actually being responsible for the entirety of a newspaper was difficult to fathom. Somehow, though, we did it, injecting this 131-year-old institution with our own 20-something spirit. We covered the opening of Whitman College, the continuation of the Robertson Case, the appearance on campus of New York Times reporters writing about the Street, the effects of the end of Early Decision, the University's new policy to combat underage drinking and so much more.

A year later, thinking back on all the nights when computers crashed, stories fell through or photographers forgot to shoot, it's hard to believe we did it. The daily miracle — our newspaper — continued for another year. Now it's time for the 132nd Managing Board to take control and to experience the same fears, stresses and exhaustion we've lived with for the past year. But, more importantly, you'll get to experience the joy of producing a good paper, the satisfaction of helping younger staffers and the convenience of sending someone else to pick up a bottle of water or a snack.

It's the end for us, but the beginning for you. Cherish this year. It will be gone in what will seem like no time. As for us, we look forward to becoming reacquainted with our friends and family, getting some sleep and joining the ranks of all the former 'Prince' editors who are now assiduous readers of this paper.