Opinion: From the Opinion Desk

Opinion says goodbye with optimism for future

When we became editors at the start of our respective semesters, we didn’t really know what we were getting ourselves into. We knew there was some constitution thing going on, I knew we were getting a new Union South, and I knew we were paying for it. I knew the state was probably going to need to come up with some money — a lot of money — to save Gov. Jim Doyle’s thumbs, but what I didn’t know was just how rich the world of campus politics really was.

Things like SSFC meetings and aldermanic races are a whole lot more entertaining than you’d think and they carry a whole lot more weight than we give them credit for.

Some of you read this page for the writing, some for the debate and some because you already finished the Sudoku. Whatever the reason, it is our sincere hope that we have at least managed to bring you a glimpse of the incredibly rich world of campus/city politics. Every day there are decisions that drastically affect our lives being made in the same buildings where we study calculus and read poetry and these decisions are neither inconsequential nor boring.

We have done our best to show you this but could not possibly have done so without the help of our writers. We’d like to thank in particular those who are continuing on to bigger things as well as assure you that the page will be in capable hands come fall — Eric Schmidt and Sean Kittridge can both read real good.

Unfortunately, there have been several times this semester when we have fallen short of our duties to provide a comprehensive and substantial debate about certain issues. In retrospect: The spring elections in Districts 2, 5 and 8 all featured hotly contested races (or primaries at least) that were worthy of more than a flurry of editorials the week before the election. The changes to the student conduct code should have been scrutinized more carefully from the moment they were proposed, not in a barrage of columns over the last few weeks. Opinion pieces on CFACT and tuition for illegal immigrants were poorly crafted, and student groups should have been given advanced warning before their columns were cut.

We are aware of our errors but are damn proud of the page we have put out for the past four months. We hope you have enjoyed it as well.

That being said, there are many other issues that loom large as the summer approaches. This athletic board investigation is becoming increasingly ominous, the conduct code fight is by no means over and this is Wisconsin — there will be plenty of wacky stuff to talk about by August.

It doesn’t matter if you don’t care, we don’t anymore either — it’s summer. So for now go enjoy having more to look forward to on Wednesdays than the shout-outs. The issues will be waiting when you get back, and so will this page.

Sam Clegg and Joey Labuz are feeling outrageously nostalgic.