So many fresh faces at 88 Benevolent and the dedicated staff who have stuck with us through a year of challenging coverage.
The office’s new community corner, fit with an LED orb light, a new couch (thank you, Neil Mehta ’25) and our SpongeBob poster that falls off the wall so often it’s probably spent more time wedged behind the desk, its sad loops of painter’s tape collecting dust. Computer mice labeled with “RIGHT CLICK DOESN’T WORK” queuing Lorde, Sabrina Carpenter and Gracie Abrams, making sure to skip “Automatic” every time it comes on.
Late-night trips to Harry’s for energy drinks, sparkling lemon water and Nerds (nuwds) gummy clusters — for health, of course. Empty containers of Heng’s BOGO pad thai; half-eaten containers when the pad thai is too dry for Julianna Chang ’26.
QOTDs scribbled onto the whiteboard, overlooking a collection of Super Sour Scandinavian Swimmers, Trader Joe’s Takis dupes or, on Thursdays, boxes of 9-spot pizza from our friends at Flatbread. Props (and anti-props) stuffed in the Keurig cover that we used as a prop bucket — we’ve now upgraded to a flower vase from Reunion Weekend. Shoutout to whispers in the lines of the Ratty, and to Megan Chan ’27 for fourthing a union story.
Our Slack workspace, dotted with party parrot, jujuwow and the A&C hand. Tuesday, now Wednesday, prod night survivors. Conversations about the little things, like which mouth-watering soup Elise Haulund ’27 made for dinner, and whether you’d have a baby now or a baby never. Speculating on the next developments in "The Summer I Turned Pretty" — The Herald is Team Conrad, obviously — and placing bets on how much time Jenny Han was going to give us for the finale. Gathering around the speaker when new albums would drop during print nights, everyone collectively cringing during our first listen of “The Life of a Showgirl.”
Haphazard front-page designs drawn with squiggles instead of words, which our talented designers somehow translate into a beautiful weekly print paper. Our diligent copy editors for catching sneaky double spaces and Oxford commas, all from squeaky IKEA stools. Social media staffers who have to deal with our half-finaled headlines — setting a new rule to have them ready before you come in, effectively immediately [sic].
Section editors for lightning-fast breaking news coverage, even at 2 a.m., and for keeping our secrets when we’re going too fast and maybe trip down the stairs. Senior staff writers for their stellar beat reporting, Mailchimp creativity and commentary on everything from bingeworthy TV shows and earworm albums to Rhode Island historical fun facts. Our columnists and opinions editors for their ever-amusing and poignant takes on campus culture, local eateries and even romantic relationships (and situationships). The editorial page board and their speedy fingers, being the first to type up nuanced, well-researched and unified perspectives in the wake of our news coverage.
Illustrators who give imagery to our columnists’ arguments and adorn our news coverage with color. Photographers for beautifully capturing campus events and taking stunning profiles, week-by-week — a picture does say a thousand words. Our new vertical video team and Adobe Premiere Pro, who join forces not only to engineer in-depth explanations of our coverage of the University, but also to create uplifting, funny segments where we get to interview you, our readers. Podcast’s adventures in audio journalism, putting a voice behind the stories we tell.
Our data desk staffers who turn spreadsheets into stories, and our tech team who combines text, images and data visualizations into interactive narratives. Our expanding app and app audience and a new games section, fit with a daily mini crossword with Brunonia-related clues. post- magazine for their colorful, hold-nothing-back post-it, blessing the centerfold of our print paper every week.
Our office manager Cary Warner, for her constant support and office management savvy. Jake Siden ’26 for leading our sales associates and directors to make the money we then spend. Hans Xu ’26 and our dedicated finance team for making sure we don’t spend too much.
All of the fresh faces entering the doors of 88 Benevolent this semester. New reporters who somehow make an all-vegan dining hall practice article feel like a new story every time. Eager columnists blessing us with their first-year culture shocks that remind us of how unique our campus really is. Newly recruited multimedia staff for bringing fresh perspectives to our team meetings. We cannot wait to see what you do at The Herald.
The ever-insightful slate of Herald alums who answer our long-winded emails and pick up our late-night calls. Michael Dubin ’16 and Aparna Bansal ’14 for their business and audience acumen. Anne Davenport ’85, Rebecca Ballhaus ’13 and Shefali Luthra ’14 for their editorial advice and constant support.
The 134th Editorial Board and General Managers for their encouragement and words of wisdom, and the 136th Editorial Board and General Managers (whoever they may be) for their dedication to leadership and their commitment to making The Herald the best it can be.
And you, our readers, for trusting us to report on the University you call home. Brown has both faced and undergone so many changes in the past few months, but The Herald’s commitment to telling the stories of our University community and training the next generation of journalists has only grown stronger. Thank you for your readership and support.
Editors’ notes are written by The Herald’s 135th Editorial Board: Tom Li ’26, Ryan Doherty ’26, Owen Dahlkamp ’26, Julianna Chang ’26, Anisha Kumar ’26 and Yael Wellisch ’26.
