The Badger Herald’s office is a sight to behold this time of year.

In the last several months, we have removed doors that refuse to shut, picked a broken desk apart by the legs and, as I write this, we continue to endure the August heat in an office that refuses to cool down despite our frequent use of air conditioning. When last summer’s small earthquake struck the east coast, I instinctively ran out of the building in fear that even trace seismic activity would bring down the flimsy, century-old brick building we share with Silvermine Subs and Madhatter Bar.

But despite the heat and peeling paint, this is my home, and there is nowhere else in the world I would rather spend my final year of college.

At the Herald, we realize the most important service we provide isn’t to our resumes, but instead to the students and community members that make the University of Wisconsin so special. Perhaps that’s why we’ve spent our entire college lives staying up until the early-morning hours to pour blood (rarely), sweat (too often) and tears (occasionally) into the largest fully independent daily student paper in the United States.

Like any other journalism student, folks often ask me how I can stay optimistic about a business like the Herald with so much bad news about college journalism in the headlines. The answer is simple: There has never been a more exciting time to be a student journalist.

Nor has there ever been a more exciting time to be a reader of student newspapers. This might be the last point in our lives in which we have the privilege of either working for or reading a traditional newspaper without paying obscene sums for the novelty. And luckily for students who read this paper, the Herald covers daily university, local and state news in print and online for free – something your average local newspaper cannot claim.

If you would like to become part of the Herald family, please stop by our office for one of our open houses. We’ll have our doors open to prospective writers, reporters and multimedia gurus on Wednesday, Sept. 5 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 9 at 6 p.m. Don’t let my description of our office at 326 W. Gorham St. frighten you; no one leaves the Herald without being impressed by its character and uniqueness. Students not enrolled in UW’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication should still feel encouraged to pick up a notebook to start writing, too.

If you can’t attend our meetings or you have a comment or concern about our newspaper, still feel free to stop by the office or send me an email at [email protected].

As the Herald’s office cools down by September, starts to freeze by December, warms up by March and finally returns to its sweat-inducing state by May, the Herald family will continue to put out some of the most informative and thought-provoking content you’ll find in a student publication. We hope you enjoy experiencing the year with us.