To the Lafayette community,

I write this to you full of gratitude for the outstanding year we have had at The Lafayette. It’s been a busy one, to put it lightly.

From dining drama to student protests, from a Patriot League title to a federal investigation, from the vice presidential debate announcement to two separate lawsuits, we covered it all. We tried our best and made mistakes. We put in late nights and early mornings. We laughed, argued and ate a lot of mozzarella sticks from Lower.

We did it all because this editorial staff is a group of people who care deeply about the mission of giving you, the campus community, college news the way it should be.

It’s a frustrating, thankless and difficult undertaking to make a newspaper of The Lafayette’s frequency, scope and quality, but it’s a beautiful thing to see what a group of people can create when they put all of themselves into it, not because it’s glamorous, not for a paycheck or a class credit (we get neither), but because it matters to them.

With this year’s class of seniors leaves some of the most talented, brilliant, dedicated and tireless journalists this paper has seen.

From our business team, Jacob Moldover ’24 and Liv Bamford ’24 worked hard to make sure the papers made it to their destinations and we could continue to run smoothly with advertisement revenue.

In sports, Eric Ponieman ’24 and Charlie Berman ’24 made the section the most interesting, most accurate and most comprehensive it’s ever been.

In culture, Bernadette Russo ’24 made sure that the heartbeat of the paper was filled with joy and personality during her three years with the section.

In management, Emma Chen ’24 and Trebor Maitin ’24 have put years of unyielding energy into this newspaper. There’s no one who eats, sleeps and breathes the newspaper quite like Emma and Trebor. I couldn’t have dreamed up better partners for this endeavor, nor could I have dreamed up better friends to have by my side.

I am so excited to hand over the reins to next year’s all-star team of editors. Isabella Gaglione ’25 will take over the role of editor-in-chief. Bella is a wizard with words, the strongest writer in any room she’s in and a wickedly perceptive editor. Her calm, quiet leadership will serve the newsroom well, and her perpetual humor and kindness will make it the kind of fun that makes the newspaper the best it can be.

The management team will be rounded out by Selma O’Malley ’26 and Elisabeth Seidel ’26. Some of the funniest and most brilliant people I know, Selma and Lis are models of the dedication and genuine love for the newspaper that are required to step into the role of managing editor.

Rae Shepard ’26, Luca Ferrucci ’27 and Abigail Cooley ’27 will handle the business side of things, while the powerhouse team of Naomi Shertzer ’25 and Jen Parsons ’26 will continue to be the unsung heroes making the paper pretty in print for the design section. Emma Sylvester ’25 will once again make sure the pictures do our stories justice as photo editor.

News will be headed by Andreas Pelekis ’26 and Makenna McCall ’27, who will be assisted by Madeline Convy ’27 and Clara Witmer ’27. This team will take on the uphill climb of reporting on monumental events such as the vice presidential debate and the bicentennial and will do so with grace and tenacity.

Culture will be overseen by Natalia Ferruggia ’26 with assistants Kristen Vincent ’26 and William Gutierrez ’27. I have no doubt they will be able to carry on the section’s legacy of colorful and immersive journalism.

In sports, Grace Sanborn ’25 will take the reins, assisted by Benjamin White ’27, to bring you the perfect mix of game coverage and inside scoop on the world of our athletes.

Thank you for allowing me the privilege of leading The Lafayette this year. I am confident I will leave it better than I found it, and I am confident it will only get better from here. Happy reading.

With love,

Madeline Marriott ’24, Editor-in-Chief