Clare McKinley Makes Opinion Section Debut

By Clare McKinley, Former Editor-in-Chief 

When I think about what made these past four years of my life so special, it is not the four walls of my classrooms or the paths I take to class. It is the people I have met who make up the Xavier community. In my favorite moments, I have been surrounded by people who have supported me, seen me grow and transformed this place into somewhere I love. 

Funnily enough, Newswire was one of those things that made X start to feel like home. I showed up on campus not knowing a single person here. I was looking for stability and things to do and I have always been good at following rules. At Manresa they told me about the rule of three, it was a safe one to follow. One: something you did in high school. Two: something related to your future career. And three: something you never tried before. For me that was Newswire. 

I went to that first meeting and was overwhelmed by the energy of everyone raising their hands all at once to claim a story or shouting over each other to be heard. I sat off to the side with a pit in my stomach and sweaty palms any time I considered raising my hand for a story that interested me. I did the same thing for the next two meetings. There was not even the slightest thought in my mind that in three years I would be in charge of the whole organization. 

Newswire has challenged me to grow in ways that I could not have imagined back then. Through it I have been able to be a part of moments that I find meaningful: covering Immigration Customs and Enforcement’s presence in Cincinnati, moderating debates and encouraging college students to stay engaged with campus or the world around them. This has included even working with the administration, however tedious it is at times, to uncover the truth. 

Over the past three years, not only have I gotten to change, I have been able to watch the university change alongside me. Different plates in the Caf, new buildings, now Greek Life and more curriculum offerings. As I have seen in myself, change is not a bad thing. But I would caution any change that comes at a cost to what Xavier is at its core.  

Yes, we should always be striving for growth, and fine, if we have to do so in the context of a capitalist economy that requires monetary transactions to survive, but I urge us to not forget our Jesuit values in the process.  

I have been taught by my professors that it is the responsibility of a Jesuit education to teach me how to fight for social justice and care deeply for the marginalized. While it is good to have discussions and foster dialogue with a wide variety of ideas, when we are called to stand with the vulnerable, that cannot be done by remaining silent. 

It is important to me that as I leave here and continue to grow, the university can do the same and invest in people, places and things that are concerned for the wellbeing of others, not the bottom line. I look forward to coming back and visiting this place that I love and even seeing how things change. But what I hope I am always able to find is a commitment to others that puts into practice what it preaches. 

Thank you Newswire for helping me find my voice. I know it will continue to do so for others long after I am gone. All for one and one for all.