Tell-tale jokes and obscene levels of sarcasm sum up the first day of April. Riddled with warning titles of “April Fools’ Issues,” the on-and-off tradition of the Setonian falling on April 1 and occasionally the last issue in March was short-lived.
It was late in the summer before my senior year when Emma Thumann asked me to be the Setonian’s news copy editor. I had never done a lick of work for the paper. I am as much a journalist as I am a person who can do long division; that is to say, not at all. How I came into consideration for this position remains a mystery, but I type before you today as a proud member of the Setonian’s 100th editorial board.
Across 100 years, the layout of the Setonian has changed over and over.
The Pirates took to the gridiron in 1882 and had quite the rough start.
If you would have told me in my junior year of high school that I would be a part of the editorial board of one of the top, award-winning collegiate newspapers, I would have never believed you.
When I joined the Setonian as a news writer in Dec. 2022, I never imagined myself joining its editorial board, let alone its 100th editorial board. Mainly because I didn’t think I was cut out for it.
Over a century, this newspaper has evolved alongside the students that have continued its legacy for this long. Today, you can access its content from almost anywhere in the world with just a few clicks and an internet connection. Yet, there was still a time when all of this content was locked behind a yearly subscription.
I’ve never been someone who believes in fate, of higher powers or external forces and wonders influencing my every thought. But when I became editor-in-chief, I learned something about the paper that made me reconsider my stance.
Traveling decades down the paper’s archives shows a vivid school life, all encapsulated by former issues of this paper.
10. Pirates win first Men’s NIT Championship (1953)
Serving as the Head Photo Editor this year has been the highlight of my senior year.
Turns out, the answer is not that complex.
I always enjoyed writing. I would rather write a paper than take a test or solve a math problem because I know with writing I can express myself.
The University President at the time, Bishop John J. Dougherty, said the paper's staff “abused” their First Amendment rights, and that too often, articles published in the Setonian reflected an “unwholesome spirit of cynicism.”
Four years later, I have gotten to know so many people and make friends in the process of working on the Setonian.
As the Setonian nears its 100th anniversary, we look back and commemorate these women for doing something that, for their time, may have turned some heads or even encouraged backlash.
To this day, I have formed connections with people that I never would have encountered otherwise–some of whom I am grateful to call my close friends.
“Get behind the paper and it will live; neglect your duty and it will soon pass into oblivion.”
Meet Patti Williams, who graduated from Seton Hall in 1974 with a bachelor's degree in communications.
It’ll be weird not hearing my dad’s coworkers ask when my next article will be up. Just as I sat with curiosity coming into Seton Hall, I’ll sit with this for a little bit longer.
Solutions by The State News
