by Kevin Perry
11th December 2007

Looking back on a first term of producing The Beaver, I must admit that we have had a few scrapes. Nevertheless, I believe that we can be proud of the paper we have produced in the last eleven weeks.

It is often said that a small newspaper can measure it’s success by the influence it has on the national news agenda, and in that respect I believe we have had some notable successes. The story we broke regarding the Twinning letter was picked up by the Evening Standard, Joseph Cotterill’s interview with Nick Clegg was referenced in The Times and Rajan Patel’s story on LSE teaching standards became the basis for a story in the Times Higher Education Supplement.

There are a whole host of people deserving of mention, and I’ll start with the former Managing Editor, Aditi Nangia. Having taken over as Managing Editor long before I was elected Executive Editor, Aditi provided continuity and stability for the paper. She is extremely talented, not just as a layout artist and graphic designer, but also as a writer, photographer and editor.

Christine Whyte achieved nothing short of a revolution in her time as Features Editor. The articles she sourced and edited set a high standard of academic integrity, and her layout freshened up a format that can become heavy with a less delicate touch.

Rajan Patel was a superb news editor, and has continued to go beyond the call of duty as a news reporter and we thank him for that.

Meryem Torun played a central role in defining what Part C is and can become. It has been an enormous undertaking to create new rules for the section, and cater to a market that has been ignored by previous generations of this newspaper.

Aba Osunsade was an excellemt Style Comptroller last year. This year, she also created some incredibly artistic designs for Part B as Editor.

Anna Mikeda has contributed massively to the look of the paper this year, not just through the photographs she has taken herself, but also through the assistance she has given to the paper by preparing photographs for publication.

Chun Han Wong has been an incredible servant to the paper, and will be sorely missed from the Comment and Analysis section. He has contributed a strong design aesthetic and intelligent editing.

Al Mansour has brought a keen sense of intelligence and a spark of humour to his role as Features editor.

Of course, my thanks also goes to all those who are still working for the paper. Michael Deas and Ruchika Tulshyan for continuing to produce incredible news articles week in, week out. Joseph Cotterill for his keen eye for layout detail. Daniel B Yates for the perpetual pearl in our oyster which is PartB. He has been aided and abetted in the past few weeks by Thomas Warren and Ravi Mistry, who have brought new ideas to PartB without losing it’s distinct, unique voice. Chloe Pieters for her assistance across every section as an editorial assistant, and the speed with which she has taken up the reigns at Part C. Matthew Partridge and Josh Tendeter for a Sports section that has delicately balanced match reports with the banter we have come to expect from Beaver Sports.

The Beaver thrives on the fact that new people are always bringing ideas, and while a fantastic team has now emerged at the paper, there are always places available for people willing to contribute ideas, energy or even just the odd joke. For those of you looking for more engagement with the community you are currently spending your time in, perhaps The Beaver is just the thing.