Here's To The Memories: A Farewell From our Graduating Editors

Dear Readers,

After four years with WUPR, we’re finally ready to say goodbye.  It’s crazy to think how much of our college careers are wrapped up in this magazine, but all good things must come to an end.

Neither of us had any experience in publishing when we got to Wash U, but we had a real taste for politics and an undeniable love for expressing our opinions and ideas.  So when we heard about the Washington University Political Review, it was an easy decision to get involved; the people were warm, inviting, and, as you’d expect, always happy to talk politics.  The magazine was a much smaller operation back then.  We printed in black and white and usually only 16 pages long.  The then-editors had all been present at WUPR’s founding back in 2004, and they were worried the group wasn’t going to survive after they graduated.  Still, it was a neat place to work.  (Plus, it’s always cool the first time you see your name in print.)  So we stuck with it and rose through the ranks as positions opened up.  One of the first things WUPR taught us was how valuable it is to have dependable people willing to give you their time and effort.  All the Editors-in-Chief we worked for – Mike Bowers, Meredith Davis, Ben Jackson and Sam Levine – never let us forget how grateful they were for anything and everything we did for the magazine.  It was a valuable lesson, and we hope that we’ve kept alive that same atmosphere of earnest gratitude that they established.  In that spirit, we want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who made being Editors-in-Chief worthwhile.

Taking over as Editors-in-Chief was as terrifying as it was exhilarating.  There was so much we wanted to change, and yet just maintaining what we had was an overwhelming task.  Since so many people had graduated, it wasn’t really clear who was willing or able to make the magazine a reality.  At first we had to tackle that the hard way, doing far too much on our own. But, as the magazine got better, we picked up a bunch of great people who were eager to help out.  So to Brittany Parker, Mike Brodsky, Josh Truppman, Nick Wilbar and everyone else who believed in us when there wasn’t always much worth believing in, thanks so much.  You made more possible than you could possibly know.

This year especially has been incredible for us and for WUPR.  We started with two big goals: a bigger and better magazine and making the organization a closer-knit group of friends working together.  The results on both fronts have exceeded our wildest expectations.  The staff has exploded in size, and the quality of the magazine has grown to match.  We’ve also finally gotten our long prophesized website, wupr.org.  That achievement is something we cannot take any credit for.  All thanks go to the dynamic duo of Bryan Baird and Will Johnson.  They created a website almost out of thin air that started out fantastic and continues to get better every time we look at it.

All together, WUPR has a much stronger presence on campus than it did when we arrived in 2006. The sight of students reading WUPR in Whispers, the DUC, or during their less-than-captivating lectures never ceases to amaze or delight.   No small part of that bolstered reputation is due to our top-notch art staff, who have put out magazine covers and an ever increasing number of editorial illustrations that are jaw-droppingly impressive.  Really, the artists that work for WUPR are the best at Wash U, and we’ll fight anyone who disagrees.

The graphic design of the magazine has also grown by leaps and bounds this year.  A huge amount of that improvement can be laid on the shoulders of one person, Tyler Trussell, who is more talented than he knows what to do with.  The guy works like a mule, too.  We couldn’t have done it without him.

Also topping the list of people that we could not have done without is Lauren Weiss, our lead copy editor.  Literally, no one in the world is more willing to work long hours on short notice, and if anyone thinks she or he is better than her at detecting comma errors, we’ll be happy to provide a detailed (and properly punctuated) list of reasons why she or he is sorely mistaken.

Finally, thank you to our readers.  Running this organization has been just about the coolest and most enjoyable thing we’ve ever done.  There’s just some things you learn about yourself and what you’re capable of when it’s 3 a.m. and the issue is due to the publisher in six hours that you can’t learn any other way.  Thanks for caring about what we do and for taking our best efforts seriously.  Your continued interest and support make it all worthwhile.

Sincerely,

Greg Allen

&

Jake Laperruque