Editorial
Few words, fewer answers in ongoing search for Nick
Issue date: 5/8/08 Section: Opinions
The offices of the editorial board of The Middlebury Campus are located in the basement of Hepburn Hall. These are shabby rooms, prone to leaks in wet weather. The pipes rattle and clatter in the winter. After a night spent putting together the newspaper, the office is invariably a mess, strewn with half-eaten dinners, discarded design mock-ups and elusive red pens.
But we are student journalists, after all, and that our offices are located in the basement of a student dormitory seems, in that context, strangely fitting. For the most part, we like to believe that our positions as students allow us some handhold on this community, and some editorial legitimacy in our job as newspapermen and women. We write about the Honor Code (which we sign), dining hall dishes (which we steal) and a litany of debates and lectures and on-campus meetings (which we attend).
At the very beginning of this semester, though, when Nicholas Garza '11 went missing, our jobs suddenly seemed grimmer and more daunting. A few editors braved early press conferences, and while more seasoned local journalists chatted amongst themselves we were left wondering just how we would ever write about the disappearance of a fellow student. We eyed the camera crew with wide-eyed worry. That first week, while search crews cut their tracks through the snow stretching between dormitories, we peered at the half-finished newspaper.
We made plans to write an obituary.
A week passed, though, and then another. Over dinner in dining halls with our friends - fellow students - most of us participated in an anxious communal questioning about Nick's disappearance. In our own newsroom, we waited for press releases, and called the local police station for updates. We parsed out the facts as we learned them, but more frequently we worked over old news, perplexed and unhappy. A month after Nick went missing, and deeply frustrated by the handling of the sad affair, we wrote in these pages about our concerns about the search.
But we are student journalists, after all, and that our offices are located in the basement of a student dormitory seems, in that context, strangely fitting. For the most part, we like to believe that our positions as students allow us some handhold on this community, and some editorial legitimacy in our job as newspapermen and women. We write about the Honor Code (which we sign), dining hall dishes (which we steal) and a litany of debates and lectures and on-campus meetings (which we attend).
At the very beginning of this semester, though, when Nicholas Garza '11 went missing, our jobs suddenly seemed grimmer and more daunting. A few editors braved early press conferences, and while more seasoned local journalists chatted amongst themselves we were left wondering just how we would ever write about the disappearance of a fellow student. We eyed the camera crew with wide-eyed worry. That first week, while search crews cut their tracks through the snow stretching between dormitories, we peered at the half-finished newspaper.
We made plans to write an obituary.
A week passed, though, and then another. Over dinner in dining halls with our friends - fellow students - most of us participated in an anxious communal questioning about Nick's disappearance. In our own newsroom, we waited for press releases, and called the local police station for updates. We parsed out the facts as we learned them, but more frequently we worked over old news, perplexed and unhappy. A month after Nick went missing, and deeply frustrated by the handling of the sad affair, we wrote in these pages about our concerns about the search.
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 4
Somebody's Mom
posted 5/08/08 @ 12:32 PM EST
As the parent of a first year student, I want to thank you for this honest piece of writing. I think it expresses what everyone has felt this semester; that there are no words adequate to describe or examine the scope of this tragedy. (Continued…)
A Mom
posted 5/08/08 @ 1:01 PM EST
Nicholas' disappearance has been a sourch of great anguish for his family and friends. To see such a profoundly thoughtfull, well written piece, expressing the heartfelt concern of his peers and friends means so much. (Continued…)
jxnhunter
Jason HUNTER
posted 5/08/08 @ 5:26 PM EST
Thank you for your thoughtful piece.
It gives a voice to the community. Sadly it cannot compare to the silence of the student body during Nick's search. (Continued…)
A friend
posted 5/08/08 @ 8:09 PM EST
I believe that someone heard or saw something that is of profound importance in this case - although they may not have realized it at the time. Think. (Continued…)
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