Luukas Palm-Leis

I would like to begin by thanking the Exponent and its staff for all the opportunities it has given me over the years and this opportunity to reflect upon my time as a contributor.
My experience with the Exponent started in spring 2020, by order of Terry Burns as part of her Basic Newswriting and Reporting course, may English 2040 rest its soul. Despite the pandemic rolling in that spring, I still learned my fair share about the dos and do-nots of the trade.
Though I took a two-and-a-half-year hiatus, returning as a copy editor in fall 2022, I technically, which is the best kind of qualifier, am the eldest and longest currently serving member of the Exponent. Well, until this last publication, anyhow.
In my time with the Exponent, I have bore witness to three distinct administrations of varying gusto and comedy. Each year when I walked into the office, the new leadership and staff depicted new scenes of intrigue and discourse suitably fit for a sociology researcher to observe.
I found my own niche in reporting about capital development, writing on such riveting topics as “when are they finally going to fix Otts” and “which decrepit buildings will they finally tear down?” I also became the resident expert on why our campus looks like an Eastern-Bloc polytechnic university, our highly ambitious campus plans and the long and mostly boring history of our buildings.
I will miss the formerly late nights in the office, stealing Pip’s time to discuss both important and entirely irrelevant things, the day-old bakery items, copy editing most of the newspaper and ensuring my notoriously difficult name is spelled correctly in the contributors’ column.
In seriousness however, I have learned much about reporting and editing with the Exponent and accredit it to my interest in pursuing journalism as a future path of study and profession. Despite being “just” a student newspaper, it has proven itself an excellent place to cut my teeth in the world of journalism, and for those with even a minute interest in journalism, I cannot recommend joining and participating in production nights enough.
With that, I shall conclude my experience at our plucky little newspaper by thanking Stephanie, John and Natalie for all of their efforts as my Editors-in-Chief these last years, wishing Kaz and the rest of his new crew success in the following semesters and bidding the Exponent one final adieu.
Au revoir, Exponent, see you out there.