Every Wednesday night, or rather early Thursday morning, when I leave 301 Flowers, I stop for a second and just look at the Chapel. Sometimes I stare for a minute, other times it's a quick glance up before I jump in my car and go home and get to bed-but I always stop and look up.
It's the only time of day that campus is actually quiet. No one is running to catch the bus, or walking to and from class or enjoying time with friends. Those seconds early in the morning are mine alone with Duke.
And it is during these short times, while observing the stillness that engulfs a campus usually so full of life, that I am able to reflect on the feeling I have of being part of something greater than myself, something that, like the Chapel, has lasted and will last throughout the history of our University.
The Chronicle has, for me, been my tie to all Dukies past, present and future. Though I've spent just four short years here, I have been able to assist in upholding a tradition and an institution during its centennial celebration.
Granted, recess is not the bread-and-butter of this paper, but every time I see people pick up a paper Thursday, I feel a connection to them. They might never know my face, but my efforts are part of their Duke experience. And maybe, just maybe, the recess staff members are able to inform them about something relevant to their college experience.
For my very last recess article, I did some research in the University archives about the statues on campus. And in doing so I came across Chronicle articles from as far back as the 1914. I know that the students who wrote those long-ago articles were part of the same tradition that I am a part of today-the pride of putting the paper to bed, the mock self-importance of college journalism, the passion for this University and using the power of the press to push this place we all love so much to truly be the best it can.
And though 20 or 30 years from now, if I have kids who are smart enough and lucky enough to go Duke, they will pick up The Chronicle on their way to class (or at least read some headlines on their iPhone or whatever).
It is that sense of timelessness that has fired my passion for this school and this publication.
I remember freshman year when I decided to drop out of rush the first round, my mom consoled me saying, but you can make The Chronicle "your sorority." And I think I have, in the way that it has been my intergenerational tie to alums and future Blue Devils.
Some people earn their Dukie badge by tenting and being a Cameron Crazy, others by being a part of the Core Four, or by achieving something academically. But I learned my real pride of being a part of this University through by a part of The Chronicle.
Lexi Richards is a Trinity senior. She is the recess editor for The Chronicle.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.