Andy Rossback
Don’t get me wrong: I’ve enjoyed the romantic walks on your abysmal concrete paths. You always made the best sandwiches. I don’t even care that you made me wait over an hour at Enrollment Services.
Lane Community College, I’m breaking up with you. It’s not you. It’s me. I’m sorry it had to be this way. It’s time for me to move on.
By the time you read this my desk will be cleared off, my keys turned in and my time at The Torch over.
Two years of my life have flashed before my eyes in what feels like a matter of seconds. Still, I’ve ridden it out here too long.
It’s been an adventure. Not exactly how I romanticized it in high school but an adventure nonetheless. It’s just time for a new one.
Over the past two years, I’ve shared nearly 60 of my Wednesday nights with a very interesting crew at The Torch.
We’ve laughed, fought, screamed and cursed — among other things. A few romances have sprouted. Of course, none quite as passionate as my love for the college.
In truth, it’s been a dark time for me. My phone rarely rings. The campus is isolated. Few friends are around. That’s why I’m excited to be around more people my own age.
What’s next for me? Alabama is calling my name. I’ll be spending my summer at a newspaper there.
In the fall, I’ll go to UO where I already have some friends. A couple of whom will be working with me at the Oregon Daily Emerald.
I’ll leave campus with fond memories, many things I’ve learned from good instructors and a couple friends.
I’ll leave a better journalist, too. After producing nearly 60 issues of this paper, I’ve learned a lot of things about this school, its population and myself. I’ll never be the same.
This column has served as an experiment — asking the “is-there-anyone-out-there” type questions.
I asked and you answered.
Thank you for the phone calls and the emails — angry ones, too. An old newspaper adage goes: If you aren’t pissing anyone off, you aren’t doing your job. Calls and emails are the types of things that make this underpaid, stressful job worth it.
It’s also proof that you’re alive — and reading. Nothing makes me happier.
a.rossback@gmail.com
