Quest Editor Elections to be Held for Fall Semester

Dear student body,

My name is Piper S. McKeever, and I am writing to let you know that the Quest will be holding elections for the position of editor for the fall semester. I am writing this article as myself, rather than as the Quest, because for the time being, I have been appointed to be your interim editor until elections are held. Although, as a former editor, I was appointed by the elected board and could hold my position for the semester without being elected, as per the bylaws, it was important to me as a matter of principle that I officially rerun. I would like to share with you briefly why I believe that holding an election is imperative, despite the fact that it may be a slight inconvenience.

To start, I count myself lucky that I was asked to revisit my role by the editorial board I worked with last semester. I have a deep respect for the Quest’s editorial team, and I tremendously appreciate their trust in my judgment as an editor and in my ability to work despite other commitments. With that said, I believe that the reason the Quest can represent itself as a voice for the students is because the editorial board is chosen by the student body themselves, rather than appointed by previous editors as some other college paper editors are. Even if I am to retain my role for the entire fall semester, I still want to maintain the Quest’s commitment to representing the student body by way of having an elected board as a matter of institutional integrity. I would like to know that the student body is as confident in my abilities as an editor as the board is, and believes that I will continue to do my best to protect the paper’s mission and integrity while representing their interests as faithfully as possible. Otherwise, I would not feel comfortable continuing to represent the student body in this capacity. 

Although we have had difficulty hitting quorum in the recent past with student elections, I think that we should nonetheless offer students the opportunity to make a decision about who represents them on the Quest editorial board and to run for the role themselves if they so desire. As a last note, I would like to encourage students to take a few minutes out of their day to read candidate platforms when they are made available and cast a vote for the editor whom you feel is most qualified and whom you wish to represent you.

Thank you for your time,

Piper S. McKeever ‘26