Dear readers,

Thursday was the application deadline for the Technician editor-in-chief position, but no one applied. While the staff at Technician is surprised, I want to assure you that we are nowhere near where we were last year at this time and we ask for your continued support during our search for candidates.

There is no danger of the paper not coming back next year. We will still be here to deliver the news to you and there is no indication that will change. The Technician will continue to be here to serve its readers, just as we have for the past 91 years.

The staff is not revolting or publishing letters protesting the administration. My section editors are in healthy positions and I have a manageable staff. The staff is solid and continuing to grow and improve every day. From my point of view, my staff and I can only continue to get better.

Biko Tushinde, the managing editor, and I are a great team and have no intention of leaving the staff. We are here to support our staff and make sure they have the leadership skills to produce a successful and effective product until we pass the responsibility on to the next team.

Applications for the editor-in-chief position have been extended until Wednesday, Feb. 23 and I urge all students who have a vision for the paper to apply. I am not going to sugarcoat the position as just “a great leadership position.” It is a tough job for a full-time student with a full course load, but myself and past editors have proven it can be done.

While being the editor-in-chief is hard, it is also vastly rewarding. I have had the honor of working with the most dedicated student leaders on campus, both on my staff and in other organizations. I have had the pleasure of fine-tuning the megaphone of our community so we stay informed on the facts and the pulse of the University. I am looking forward to passing this honor to the next editor.

Candidates should know they will have the support of the staff and the University behind them. This paper is not just one person’s responsibility, but ours, and we will make sure we choose an editor who can uphold ethical standards and provide the leadership and vision to assure the Technician is the voice of the students and community.

Thank you for your continued support of the Technician and the students who work every day to bring it to you. We look forward to our next leader and their vision for the future of the paper.

Sincerely,

Amanda Wilkins

Editor-in-Chief