After two years of being Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor, we are finally signing off for the last time. Not only has it been an honor to be the head honchos of Hamline’s oldest student organization, but also to be the press for a campus as multifaceted and unique as Hamline. While we have made our fair share of mistakes and burnt a bridge or two, we hope the content we have guided and produced has done this place justice.
There are stories we had the opportunity to tell, and some we hope get covered in the future. We began back in May of 2024, during a notable transition period at Hamline. Our first hard-hitting news piece was regarding a newfound anti-protest policy … and our last was the removal of an anti-signage policy piece. Early on in our tenure, we began covering the 2024 presidential election and have had a team produce well-informed coverage of the aftermath, most notably during Operation Metro Surge.
Moments like these led us to grow not only as journalists but as people in these tougher times — building community and advocating for swift, immediate change. For lack of a better word, the world is a hot mess. Times are difficult, yet we have and will continue to persevere through.
However, this could not have been done without past and current editors. From Sports Editors Ella Sime ‘25 and first-year Matías Vega, to our two Lifestyle Editors, sophomore Erik Larson and junior Mercury Burks and our first News Editor, senior Alex Bailey, who began at The Oracle before us both, every single thing they have done has allowed us to grow as journalists and people.
This letter could simply be a thank you note — both to our staff and our community — but we want it to be much more. We want it to be a reassurance and a reminder: our time at Hamline may be limited, but the impact will always continue. No matter what you do at Hamline, whether you simply attend classes or have been elected into the Hamline Undergraduate Student Congress, your impact matters.
You can trust us when we say you will be in good hands. Your future Editor-in-Chief, junior Anabel Bradley, and Managing Editor, sophomore Jordan Fauks, will be taking The Oracle farther than the two of us ever could. We spent these last two years setting a foundation for our successors, and we can confidently say that the bricks placed are stronger than Fort Knox itself.
We are beyond excited to pass the torch on to two individuals with such passion and expertise in the journalism world, along with being personable enough to lead the staff into battle. Two people who embody the Hamline spirit. People whose impact and influence will continue on for years to come, whose existences are clear reminders of our previous reassurance.
Roll Pipes, or whatever they say.
Aiden Lewald, Editor-in-Chief, ‘26
Isaac Roy, Managing Editor, ‘26
