More than anything else, one experience defined my time at Sacramento State: The State Hornet. I came to Sacramento State because of its robust journalism program, and as excellent as my classroom experiences were, the place I learned the most was the Hornet’s newsroom in the University Union.

As a news writer, copy editor, features editor and online managing editor at the State Hornet, I covered important stories, honed my news judgment, and pushed boundaries in search of new ways to present information to the university community. My State Hornet colleagues helped me get my first jobs in journalism, and remain some of my closest friends. My time there had a powerful impact on my life, and I’ll never forget it.

Today’s students deserve the same incredible experiences I had, and I urge the university to find a central location where the newspaper staff can work while the Union is renovated.

Moving the State Hornet to the far-flung Folsom Hall — a location that barely fits on the printable campus map — would hinder the newspaper’s ability to provide timely news coverage of the campus and would send a troubling message about the value Sacramento State places on its respectable journalism program.

It would make newsgathering prohibitively difficult. Students come to staff meetings at the State Hornet between classes — something that would be impossible with the aforementioned location. Staff members also need to be centrally located to cover breaking news and learn to file stories quickly — a vital skill to learn to be employable in this day and age.

I know space at the university is at a premium, but surely a temporary office can be found for this vital organization that does not threaten its very existence.

-Cody Kitaura, class of 2008.