Fare thee well, Fairbanks
By Sun Star Editor in Chief Colin A. Warren
Colin A. Warren in Nome, Alaska.
This February as I skated perilously across an icy side street near campus on cross country skis, flailing my arms, hopelessly shuffling for the trailheads a half mile up the road, I was passed by a blue pickup truck. The sun was so brilliant in my eyes I hardly registered the vehicle had stopped not twenty meters ahead in the middle of the road. The truck then reversed onto a side street so the driver, a lightly-showered man in his thirties, faced me as I haphazardly approached.
“I’ve got a rope,” he said.
At first I didn’t quite understand. Then I did and I thought, “woah, no way.” Then, I thought more and decided I’d better do this. I ripped up the hill hanging on to the rope tied to his truck with ski poles under my arms, and the jarring light and automobile-induced zephyrs were like being tossed inside a kaleidoscope.
Suddenly I was at the trailhead, catching my breath and preparing myself for a meaningful afternoon in the woods.
In so many ways that random event is exactly like my experience as a student at UAF.
As I prepare to graduate and hand over the reins of The Sun Star to the next class of journalists, I cannot help but reflect on my whirlwind time here. Everyone has been extremely generous with their words, ideas, and grace. This place runs on the hard work of caring people, and it shows.
The newspaper team proved our worth as an invaluable voice for the student body. We reported on outstanding adventures, incomparable Arctic research, major changes at UAF and so much more. We set out to tell stories that the student body deserved to hear. Launching a weekly newsletter gave our articles thousands of fresh eyes and enshrined our relevance in a digital age that has diminished verified news when we need it most. We even covered topics that were important to the whole state, developing publishing partnerships with The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and Anchorage Daily News. Those and other professional news organizations gave precious advice and guidance for which I thank them deeply.
But more than anyone I thank my team, without which none of this would’ve been possible. I had my first sweet taste of a buzzing newsroom when I interned at The Nome Nugget a couple summers back. And that’s what I hoped to create in our newsroom. It’s been one of the pleasures of my life watching the communal and individual growth we’ve had in our reporting and storytelling. The saying is true: a rising tide lifts all boats. Our passion in the pages has colored the stories that bloom at our school. That’s what I’ll remember from my time here.
We face many future challenges which I trust The Sun Star will serve as a communal beacon. Artificial intelligence, the torch-bearing of unique Alaska languages, the perils of the federal assault on higher education, and so many other hurdles and obstacles that will require an honest take. I challenge UAF to stand transparent in those challenges and the student body to continue to voice themselves in these pages.
And whatever happens, make sure to stop your vehicle and offer a stranger on skis a wild ride.