After two years at the steering wheel, I am just now coming to grips with my departure from The Stanford Progressive. Initially, I was thrown into the fray with only a few words of advice. However, with the help of a loyal staff, we not only kept the magazine going, we improved it. The evolution of the magazine, going from a dreary black cover with photos to a bright red cover with original artwork, is the combined efforts of our content and layout editors. Ideas are useless without those willing to work for it. This is all the more extraordinary since The Stanford Progressive is entirely voluntary. Writers, artists, and editors all sacrificed time that might be spent on academics or sleeping. Layout editors worked tirelessly for hours at a time to make deadlines.

The Stanford Progressive has and will serve as a forum for original angles and views on politics. Over the past two years, we have published narratives about having family members in the army, reports about political conventions, and interviews with figures such as president and founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation and authors such as Joshua Glenn and Mark Kingwell. Subjects have ranged from credit default swaps to Nigerian oil and drunken bloggers. The future can only hold more diversity in opinion. The many comments and letters circling around campus reveal a deep urge for students to share their political views, and The Stanford Progressive provides the perfect venue.

My time as Editor in Chief has been a crash course in practical, as opposed to theoretical, politics. Involvement in Stanford organizations results in education that classes simply cannot convey. While the history of due process is interesting, it will not give you the ability to talk to bureaucrats. In terms of practical matters, working as the financial officer for a student group is more beneficial than becoming a senator at the ASSU. The Stanford Progressive’s open structure allows for experimentation that cannot be accomplished in most other settings. The magazine has changed over the past two years, and I am confident that within two more years, The Stanford Progressive will be different and better. The Progressive website (http://progressive.stanford.edu) has been revamped, and there will soon be a regularly updated blog. The trajectory of The Stanford Progressive can change with the suggestion of an individual, whether it is a freshman with a good idea or a long time editor. Everyone participates in making decisions, resulting in a more polished, creative publication than any individual could singularly create.

Sincerely,

Ross Raffin
Editor in Chief