Seniors sign off

Mara Gay, Opinion columnist, news reporter

I think everybody has to do a little work to make 420 Maynard, in some way, her own. For me, that meant working with three different editorial boards, one stressful newsroom, and four years of maniacally fun people who have shown me incredible things. It used to be that I walked into The Daily and saw a sea of strangers who seemed to be involved in some elaborate inside joke I would never be a part of. Now I think I get it.

I am convinced that you have to be at least a little insane to find yourself at home among all this madness. Still, I find myself at home among all this madness. I hope you do too.

Kevin Bunkley, Assistant Editorial Page Editor

From the editorial page I have seen history repeatedly made at this university, and feel honored to have been a part of it. There was a time when I didn’t think I’d make it here to the University, but the third application gave this lifelong Wolverine the chance to live his dream.

I thank former editor Emily Beam for wooing me to the editorial page, when I was unsure of my role and unsure of myself. I thank Imran for being a teacher and a friend, and am grateful to my fellow Associates: Theresa for your kindness, Rachel for making me laugh, and Emmarie for being so sweet.

The time will come when I’ll miss arguing with the Editorial Board two nights a week, and this outnumbered conservative will always treasure our time together. To new editors Kate, Matt, Emily and Gary: behave.

The Daily allowed me to experience the dream of attending this University more fully than I could’ve imagined, and I’m a better person because of those I have met here and the knowledge I have obtained. Ed Murrow said once, “Just because your voice reaches halfway around the world doesn’t mean you are wiser than when it reached only to the end of the bar.” The Daily teaches us that even though we have a lot to say, it matters how we say it.

So long.

Anne VanderMey, Magazine Editor

The Daily helped make me who I am today. I only hold that against it a little bit.

Thank you to Bridge, Emma and Peter – for all your hard and brilliant work on The Statement. Wall, much love and thanks for the ghost-editing. Karl, now you can relax about the rule numbers. Jess, you’re a knockout. Keep it up. The Daily I’ve read has often approached greatness. I’m confident your class will take it the rest of the way.

Remember, it’s secretly always “the year.”

David Mekelburg, Associate News Editor

As a Daily reporter and editor, I feel as if I led a charmed existence. I spoke with senators, activists, MSA presidents and Hot Dog Man, to name a few. I’ve sat through City Council meetings and Ron Paul rallies. I watched the University change before my eyes in just a few years.

If I hadn’t walked into the Daily as a sophomore, I probably wouldn’t have seen any of that. I doubt I would have even cared. Let’s behonest, have you ever been to an MSA meeting? I have, and based on attendance at the meetings I’ve been to, I doubt you’ve ever watched our student government in action.

But if honesty is the order of the hour, then I have to say that I’m really glad I went to those meetings. It changed my life. That’s sort of a weird thing to see in print: MSA changed my life. It’s true, though, just as Ron Paul, Facebook.com and Ohio State fans changed my life. I got to watch my own life unfold through the lens of an objective reporter, and I have it awkwardly stored away in AP style.

For those that may have expected a shout-out, sorry, you know you’ve been important to me. This here, though, is the first and only time I get to thank the Daily. If you’ve read something I’ve written, thanks, you’re the reason I got to do this. So thanks to the Daily and thanks to you.

Peter Schottenfels, Managing Photo Editor, Multimedia Editor

The Daily has been he most valuable thing that I have done while in college. I am truly thankful for this opportunity to explore the university and Ann Arbor. I’ve learned more than I ever will in a classroom, and I have met some of the most fantastic people I will ever know.

To campus, thanks for looking at my photos every day. To photo staff, thanks for putting up with me. Take advantage of everything this place has to offer. To the photo family, Mother Carrot flows through my soul. I will break a garbage bin. The Daily hasn’t been the same without you.

Mike Eber, Opinion Columnist

I have only been around for a bit, but enjoyed the ride. Believe things for yourself.

Good bye, Daily.

Karl Stampfl, Editor in Chief

We should have done better. This next class will. So will the class after that.

Chris Gaerig, Daily Music Editor

I’m glad this shit is over.

I’ve been wondering how to write this for the last four years. And now that it’s come, I feel more unprepared than ever, so I suppose I’ll just get to it: Thanks to Mom and Dad, no one could ask for better parents – I love you and can’t begin to thank you for everything you’ve done. To Drew, fuck you for being the greatest inspiration, hero and friend anyone could ask for. To Kris, you’ve been my best friend for four years, and I can’t wait for the future: Bridge for life. Rachel and Kerri, never forget freshman year hockey. To Liz for being one of the only things that’s kept me sane the last two years. To Evan for giving me more advice than anyone: warranted or otherwise. To Lloyd for being my competition since freshman year – you’ve kept me on my toes. To Bloomer: I still hate you. To Jen for putting up me with. Emery, I wish we’d met sooner. To Dowd and Dinges for helping me through the Statement. To Alexandra, Rottenberg, Wernert, Bernie, Forest, Runstrom and Hoard I miss the old times – you made them great. Brian for being a friend above family. Matt Lewis for being the most loyal person I’ve ever met. Klein, you’ve been a mentor and friend. And to the rest of you I don’t have room for: Annora, Laura, Colin, Jamie, Susan, Claire, Maddie, Bridget, MacIntyre, B.J., Imran, Theresa, Passman, Caroline, Kim.

I’ve burned a lot of bridges in the last four years and I’ve built a couple more. Mark Twain once said, “The report of my death was an exaggeration,” but only Conrad seems appropriate, “You will hear of me.”

H. José Bosch, Senior Sports Editor

First and foremost, I’d like to thank the readers. Without your support, or criticisms, this paper wouldn’t be relevant on campus. I’ve received compliments from a few and criticisms from many, but regardless of the message I’ve always appreciated that you’ve read what I wrote.

I want to thank my family. I’ve passed up many opportunities to be with them so that I could cover a sporting event. Even if I cancelled plans on short notice, they never showed any displeasure. Mom, Dad and Matthew, I love you.

I want to thank some of the sports information directors I’ve worked with over the years. Tom Wywrot with the basketball team, Matt Trevor with the hockey team, Jim Schneider with the baseball team and Rich Retyi with the volleyball and women’s gymnastics team. They’ve put in plenty of hours to make my job easier and I’ve been thankful for all their help. And a special thanks to Rich for helping me out after my recorder failed to work during my first interview. Without your kindness, I probably would’ve quite right there.

I want to thank the athletes. I admire what you do on a daily basis and I’ve had a great time covering the ups and downs on the field of play. I also appreciate that, despite many of you being bigger and much stronger than me, you’ve never gone after me for writing something critical.

I want to thank John Lowe for his willingness to be a mentor to the entire staff. I’ll never forget all of your lessons.

Finally I want to thank my girlfriend. Thank you for dealing with my ridiculous schedule and late-night pizza dinners.

To the Daily sports class of 2008 and to those I’ve worked on a beat with: Scott Bell, Kevin Wright, Daniel Bromwich, Jack Herman, Mark Giannotto, Ian Robinson, Lindsey Ungar, Eileen Hengel, Chris Herring, Dan Feldman, Dan Levy, James V. Dowd, David Murray, Pete Sneider, Katie Niemeyer, Matt Singer and Colt Rosensweig.

It’s been an honor working with you all. Good luck and God bless.

Mark Giannotto, Senior Sports Editor

I came to the Daily as a freshman merely to give myself something to do outside of drinking too much with the guys in my fraternity. Four years later, I can say I accomplished part of my goal. I still drank way too much thanks to fraternity life, but I am leaving with a career. Because of my time here, I realized I want to be a writer and for that, I’m forever grateful to 420 Maynard.

Thanks to my many adventures as a sports writer, I’ve got quite a few experiences that I will never forget. There are the times I almost got arrested at Illinois basketball games because I refused to take no as an answer from security. And anyone who’s been at the Daily knows I still haven’t gotten revenge on a certain hockey player who decided it was cool to sucker punch me at Touchdowns one night. Or there was that time when I totaled my Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciara on my way back from interviewing Sidney Crosby. Speaking of car crashes, I can thank Brom for almost killing me on the way to Ohio State.

But it’s the people who I’ve worked with over the years that I will remember first when I think of my time at the Daily. So in no particular order thank you to: my parents, Jose, Brom, Ian, Jack, Scott, KWright, Lindsey, Lisa, Eileen, Felds, Levy, Sandals, John Lowe, Rodrigo, Amber, Courtney, Andy, Mike, Prosp, Herring, Ian Herbert, Gaerig, Gennaro, Dowd, Grossman, Karl, Bloomer, Gabe, Stephanie, Singer, Jamie, Anne, Colt and Bonnie Hunt.

Imran Syed, Editorial Page Editor

It’s astounding how easily memories can be made. Thank you to everyone I’ve met at the Daily for making a place for me in this wonderfully quirky guild. I wouldn’t dream of trying to name all of you, but you’ve influenced me in so many ways, and I will remember you in everything I do. I’m sentimental like that.

Daniel Bromwich, Senior Sports Editor

There were several points at which I didn’t think I’d ever be doing this – saying goodbye to the Daily. I didn’t really care about this place until it was nearly too late, and I didn’t appreciate the people I was working with until I was almost done. I was so detached that I barely even knew that staffs other than sports existed until early this year.

But I stuck around. I got the incredible opportunity to cover Tommy Amaker’s firing, John Beilein’s hiring, Lloyd Carr’s resigning and Rich Rodriguez’s arriving. I watched a football team shock the world twice, and traveled to college basketball arenas that I read about as a little kid.

And now, I’m saying goodbye. Although there’s a lot about the Daily that bothers me, that infuriates me and frustrates me to my tipping point, this isn’t the place for that.

What makes this place so special isn’t the fact that a bunch of college students come together to put out a newspaper every day, and it isn’t the tradition or the elitism of the organization. It’s the people, and it’s those people that deserve thanks.

First and foremost, thanks to this season’s football beat. Scott Bell, Jack Herman and Kevin Wright helped a season that originally looked so promising actually realize its potential. Not to mention that two of them were the best bosses a semi-committed, less-than-responsible beat writer could work under.

Thanks to Mark, who’s more of a real person than most Daily staffers. Thanks to Karl, Mek, Imran and Gary, who showed me that good people do exist outside of the sports section, and that I’m actually not always right.

Lastly, thanks to everyone who made walking into this building two, three, four, sometimes even five times a week a privilege rather than a chore. I’ve bitched and complained, and often I’d have preferred to drink rather than write a notebook or advance. But it’s been worth it, so thanks, all of you.

Scott Bell, Managing Sports Editor

It’s pretty difficult to sum up your Daily experience in 250 words, especially when you’re being rushed. But we’re sports, we don’t always bow down to what Karl wants – so here’s a still-hurried version of my Senior Goodbye that doesn’t exactly bow down to “the man.”

This is certainly an awkward position to be in. A place that my life revolved around for three-and-a-half years is suddenly in my rear view mirror. It’s easy to be sad and sentimental, but it’s difficult to sum up in so few words. So I guess I should just say thanks, and hope people realize I want to say so much more.

For those that came before me (and remembered my name): Ian – thanks for making this such an inviting environment, from making this not just a job, but a great place to hang out. Jack – thanks for making a great product be not just a goal, but a realization. Thanks for setting the bar high for me. (And thanks for opening your apartment for all our junior-year drinking endeavors). Sharad, Schick, Eric, Bob, Burke, Singer, Stephanie, Gabe, Goni and everyone else I probably just forgot, I didn’t forget about you, either. Thanks.

For those who worked with me: Kevin – you were the silent assassin, the guy who didn’t need attention. Your contributions didn’t go unnoticed, and your moment in the spotlight during the ’06 Michigan-Ohio State game was not only well-deserved, but it was extremely impressive. Brom – you’re not only extremely talented, but you also kept me sane during a lot of the long nights. The wide range of characters are nice here, but it’s also refreshing to have someone normal to lean on when a heavy dose of awkwardness isn’t in order.

To my remaining classmates in one of the most impressive classes the Daily has ever seen: Mark, Jose, Ian R., Colt – thanks for all your contributions. Thanks for putting up with my power trips when I was the boss, and for your dedication to the paper. Most of you deserved more prominent spots earlier on in this paper, and I wish things were different. I’m excited to see where the section goes this semester. I’m not forgetting about the designers and editors either – I wish I could say more. Karl and Mek specifically, your passion for the Daily and journalism in general are more inspiring than you’d ever know.

To those who are following: Nate – you have all the talent in the world to take this section to new places. This is your section now; don’t be afraid to fight for it and its best interesting. And don’t hesitate to stick around for a late night or two to make sure our product is the best it can be. Big things, Nate. I’m excited. For the hockey beat – I can’t put into words how excited I am about you four. Courtney, Andy, and Mike, don’t be afraid to make Daily priority No. 1. For every rough night at the Daily, there will be five times as many satisfying nights. You three have the camaraderie and the talent to really make this place special. Keep it up. To the freshmen and sophomores – I wish I had more time to get to know both you and your writing. There are a lot of really interesting and talented people on staff. If I could give one bit of advice, it’s to stick around. Joining the Daily was the best decision I’ve made in my life – not just my college life, but my life. And Felds, stop running for EIC.

My thanks extend so much farther than this building. I could write a story apiece on every selfless act John Lowe has made to make others a better writer and for every sacrifice my parents have made to make these four years the best in my life. I wish I could single out every reader who has given me positive feedback that made me feel great and negative feedback that made me a better writer. Instead, I’ll have to sum it up with a pretty vague “thank you.” It means more than you’d ever know.

So if I could leave everyone with any sort of wisdom, it’s this: The Daily is more than just a student paper. For every amazing road trip and breaking story you write, there’s a lifelong friendship and unforgettable memory behind the scenes. For every post-game interview and amazing stadium you visit, there’s a crazy story or a Daily point to keep under wraps.

It’s been a hell of a journey. Thanks to the coaches, colleagues and athletes who made this such a great ride.

For those of you already at the Daily or thinking about joining – don’t be afraid to make the jump, it’s the best decision you’ll ever make.

Arikia Antoinette Millikan, News reporter, Associate Editorial Page Editor

The Daily is the only place at which I’ve ever felt I truly belonged. Granted, there were times when I felt like Rosalind Franklin. There were situations that made me want to quit and never look back. But I persevered, and because of it I have made some of the best friends I will ever know and gained invaluable experience that will last a lifetime. I’ve even become a little bit of a journalism snob, which will probably go a long way in the industry if Jeff Bloomer has taught me anything.

I still feel the need to maintain my feminist hard-ass role, so I don’t want to be too sentimental. But there are a few loose ends I have to tie up.

Gary, you saved me and you’re wonderful. But seriously, chill out.

Imran, you say a lot of offensive shit to people, but you never said anything to me. I’m not sure why.

Jess, we differ on a lot of issues, but you’re great and you’re mysterious ways will take you far. You say you don’t want to be a journalist, but I know deep down you will dominate with your intuitive flare.

Emily B, you’re soft-spoken and sincere, which throws people off sometimes. But you know what you’re doing. Stay on top.

Emily Angell, you were wronged in ways that nobody should have to experience, and I wish I could have done more for you. But you are a survivor, and I admire you for getting out virtually unscathed.

Grossman, you’re my Watson. But when it came down to the final read, I trusted you to make my work shine.

And Karl, I have no idea how you managed to keep it together. I have immense respect for you and I appreciate how dealt with things when they were rough. Thank you. And I hope you know, I never sold you out.

For years to remember,

Arikia Antoinette Millikan

Theresa Kennelly, Associate Editorial Page Editor

Thanks to a scheduling mistake, I found myself enrolled in journalism instead of English Honors on the first day of the 11th grade. As a confused and apathetic 16-year-old, I decided not to bring up the issue to my scheduling counselor, and I decided to just go with it. Almost six years later, I have never once regretted the error.

Rodney Lowe, my journalism teacher (turned high school newspaper adviser and life mentor), is whom I owe practically everything I’ve done at the Daily to. He introduced me to a whole side of writing that I never thought I could have loved. And, most importantly, he believed in my writing and had faith in my potential as a journalist.

Next year, I will be a high school English teacher in Baltimore, and my only wish is that I will be half as inspiring to my students as Mr. Lowe was to me.

I also owe a lot of credit to my editors and superiors at the Daily. From Jason Pesick to Karl Stampfl, I am so impressed at how dedicated 20-year-olds can be to a student publication. Imran: You have done so much for me, whether you realize or not, and I have no doubt that you will do great things in your life. Gary: My only concern is that you will grow too bitter and turn into Zbro. Try to love your job as much as Imran did.

Finally, I thank my mom and dad and Mike for both the encouragement and tough-love they have given me.

Kevin Wright, Senior Sports Editor

I’m not a sentimental person, but I should say something about the people I worked with for the past four years of my life.

But first, I made a half-court shot on Madison Square Garden, which is a story I’ll be telling at the bar for the next 40 years.

With that out of the way, my experiences would be nothing without the people that made them enjoyable. I’m going to leave people out, so I apologize in advance. I’d like to thank Scott Bell, Jack Herman, Daniel Bromwich and Mark Giannotto, who all became good friends of mine. The long hours at the Daily would’ve been unbearable without bar-fight stories, table-topping Jack, spooning on the couch and racing chairs. I’m also quite proud of my protégé, Nate Sandals, who is smarter than me but still humored my claim as his mentor.

I’d also like to thank some former members of the Daily, who really helped me feel at home. People like Gabe Edelson, who taught me various forms of self-defense; Ian Herbert, who proved I wasn’t as socially awkward as I thought; and Matt Singer, who shared with me the single most emotional hug of my life.

Lastly, I’d like to thank my first beatmate, Anne Uible, who schooled me in swimming, writing and life in general. Also, thanks for my latest column name.

For the younger Daily members, enjoy your time here. Also, Mike Eisenstein let me borrow his three seasons of “The Wire,” so thanks, Mike.

Lindsey Ungar, Design Editor

I hated the Daily – a lot. But even when I cried, quit temporarily, or my GPA plummeted, I couldn’t tear myself away completely. I love the Daily. I love the people, the history, and the joy of seeing it laying on the newsstands or even strewn upon the floors of Angell Hall.

I learned more inside the walls of 420 Maynard than any class. I wear that blue Daily T-shirt like a badge of honor. Pizza Bob milkshakes will always hold a place in my heart. Some Daily parties are even better than Thursday night at Rick’s.

Don’t tell the Daily, but it’s given me more than I could ever give it in return. It’s unconditional love – and it’s forever. An extra-special shoutout to Ashley, Tony, Lisa, Bridget, Laura, Ian R. and H., Eileen, Mark, Jack, Kevin, Jose, Nate, Stephanie, Katie, Amber, Allie, Scott, Karl, Ali, Bob, Jason, and John Lowe. And thanks to my parents and sister, for putting up with my never-ending journalism obsession. I’m just a hardcore B-school student in disguise. Thanks for the memories!

Jeffrey Bloomer, Managing Editor

The touchstones, in order of appearance:

Amanda

Punit

Alexandra Jones

Rott and Run

Donn and Imran combined

Sarah, Kori and assorted groupies (cop out, but luv ya!)

Evan McGarvey

Bernie Ngyuen

Anne VanderMey

The Gaerigs, hate you

Andrew Klein (tear)

Lloyd

Karl Stampfl

Molly

Jess

Peter/Angie, King and Queen

Sports (Jack and Scott, or Scott and Jack? Discuss!)

Arikia

The film guys, particularly Paul, Kristin, Blake and Sarah (yes you Schwartz), definitely not Brandon

The new class (Emery, maybe the kid with the bad hair)

Mara and Andrew, not to be sexist

Love you!

Indulgence!

Life!

Jack Herman, Managing Sports Editor

As I walked to the Daily for my final sports election, I attempted to plan the speech I would give to the underclassman. I’d talk about how much the Daily taught me, how much fun I had here and how much I appreciated each and ever person there. I hoped it would inspire, excite and touch the young journalists who had the task of leading this institution for the next few years.

Instead, I cried.

Without preparation, I rambled for a few minutes about how much the Daily meant to me. So this time, I gave myself plenty of time to think about what I wanted to say. But – sorry to be cliché (and a line like this wouldn’t make it past my edit) – it’s made it no easier to sum up my experience at the Daily in the 250 words I’ve been given here. I’m not going to name all the people who made the Daily a worthwhile experience, because they all deserve better than a brief mention here. Many of them are my best friends. And they all had a part in my favorite memories. I owe them all more goodbyes, thank yous and apologies (actually, probably more of those than anything else) than I

could fit in here. As for the Daily as a whole, I’ve given it more of myself than possible over these past four years. And still, I’d owe it thousands more for all that it’s given me.

I’ll have a few more months and one more column to cope with the fact I’ll never have experience like working at the Daily again.

I know, however, that I’ll only have one regret: that this is the best I could do to honor 420 Maynard.

Ian Robinson, Senior Sports Editor

First, I’d like to thank the readers. I probably don’t know you or even know if anybody read my articles. At least, I know you made the effort to go online and check out these farewells.

For the last four years, I have read the senior goodbyes. All my predecessors putting into 200 words the hundreds of hours they have spent at 420 Maynard (No space limits online so I went with 366 words). Each time, I have thought about how I will capture all the relationships and memories I have developed over the years and show the person behind the byline. Would I go with humor, tug at the heartstrings or just say “goodbye” and leave?

Even now, as the clock nears midnight, I don’t know what I will do. How will I capture the thousands of hours I have spent at The Daily? There was the time I spent the night in the baggage claim of the Northwest Arkansas Airport. There was the time I went dogsledding near North Pole (just outside Fairbanks). There was the time I looked Coach K straight in the eyes, and I’m pretty sure he looked deep into my soul. There was the time a disheartened cross-country runner recognized the seven-hour commute I made from Ann Arbor that morning (Yeah, all in the morning). But it’s not about all those unique stories.

It’s about those afternoons with Red at Yost and those late SportsMondays on Huron. It’s about how my Daily friends simply became my friends. It’s about those roadtrips along I-94, I-80, I-90 and US 23.

Now, as one of the last who can say it, I don’t care about the asbestos poisoning I got from all those hours in the Daily basement because the memories I made will make up for the suffering later.

Now, I will finish with the list of people to thank. First, this list is not exhaustive. If I forgot you, I apologize in advance. I want to thank the SIDs, coaches and athletes. Now to thank (in no order): Jack, Scott, Brom, Kevin, H. Jose, Mark, Colt, Levy, Amber, Nate, Dowd, Gabe, Ian, Pete, Courtney, Mike, Andy, Felds, Alex, Nicole, Ruth, Chris, John Lowe, Singer, Stephanie, Dave, Lindsey, Big Rod.

Andrew Sargus Klein
Managing Arts Editor

A few years ago an old girlfriend’s roommate off-handedly mentioned that if I wanted to I could write art reviews for the Daily. I thought: Here’s the chance to take this blossoming history of art degree and make it legit. Sort of.

What transpired was a massive awakening. “Art saves our lives everyday!” “Throw your hands in the air!” And so on and so forth. After I became a subeditor this enthusiasm quickly petered out, replaced by hard drinking, long nights copy-editing, page design and disastrous arguments over font types and pull quotes. When I became managing arts editor I just started packing a flask more often and haven’t had a normal nights sleep in way too fucking long.

Arts journalism isn’t always ideal – you have to put up with those capsule reviews of terrible films and feature packages involving someone from Broken Social Scene. It’s nauseating sometimes how impossible it is to cover everything there is to cover. I’ve read hundreds of thousands of words and barely scratched the surface of our celestial, neurotic cloudbank of culture.

But you do what you can. You look for a better photo, compile a fact box, fuck with headline hierarchy – anything, sometimes, to make the mundane fresh, to find something individual about this band or that dance performance that can’t be found in a press release. How can one piece of art matter more than another? (OK, not all the idealism burned away) At the end of the day you hope you turned someone on to something.

I’ve had the privilege of working with nearly 50 different writers in my time here, and every read, every dialogue I had with my writers brought me a step closer to something. Not closer, just farther along. I thank all of you who put up with my sweaty armpits, incessant emails with random links and terrible puns and baroque enthusiasm.

There are some seriously important people in my life who I met working side by side at the Daily. To forgo all attempt at balanced prose, they changed my life. I attribute more credit to them and the Daily than I do to my classes (most of them, at least). The degree that just showed up in my mail box doesn’t mention anything about the Daily, but when I walk with my fellow fools in the spring I’ll be leaving behind something that meant more to me than a BA in history of art.

Bloomer, Kristin, Kim, Lloyd, Bernie Abby, Caroline, Peter – one word: rock. And the young upstarts? Emery, Passman, Roney – you guys are going to fuck up and have fun doing it and then you’re going to realize one day that you’re more than good at this, that it’s something a tiny bit bigger than ourselves.

That’s it. Two-plus years in 493 words. I’m already missing it, but damn if the Daily didn’t give me a necessary swift kick in the ass. Thank you.