Letter From the Editor To all our loyal readers: It has recently come to pass that The Spectator has undergone a “changing of the guard.” After two years of great ingenuity and dedication, our founding staff has stepped down for a new group of passionate writers, editors, and student leaders to carry forward the ideals of The Spectator into the next generation of Washington and Lee students. For my own part, I am excited and honored to be your new Editor-in-Chief, and I strongly embrace The Spectator’s noble goals of safeguarding freedom of thought on campus and encouraging meaningful dialogue on issues pertaining to the heart of what W&L stands to be, an institution of higher education unlike any other. I would like to thank Paul Lagarde, our former Editor-in-Chief, and the the departing staff for their ceaseless efforts to make the Spectator into the successful forum of student thought and opinion that it is today. Your new staff is comprised of talented, diligent individuals who I am certain will continue The Spectator’s growth as a source of information for all members, past and present, of the wider W&L community. Student governance has always been at the heart of Washington and Lee, and The Spectator tirelessly endeavors to honor this unique student commitment to self-governance by keeping our community informed, and always seeking to advance the cause of truth in University life. It comes as no surprise, then, that our concluding issue of this academic year focuses on the state of student government at W&L, and the numerous reforms both forthcoming and yet-to-be-implemented that seek to resolve the problems facing student governmental organizations on campus from the SFHB to the VRB. Whether these reforms achieve their desired ends or not, more remains to be accomplished on issues as diverse as democratic restructuring, administrative overreach, procedural impotence, and limited powers, among many others that afflict our governing bodies on campus. Both students and administration are taking steps to resolve these issues, and The Spectator is here to make sure these changes are brought into the light of public view. On behalf of the Staff of The Spectator, we hope you enjoy this issue and its many insights into University life and its future. After all, that’s what we’re here for.

By Ben Gee

Editor-in-Chief

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