Stampede Readers,
I wanted to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and a break full of rest away from your studies. No matter how amazing or difficult this past semester was for you, it’s always good to step away for a brief time to slow down and recharge, reflect, and look forward to finishing out the remainder of the calendar year, whether that’s on your own or with family and friends.
As I look back on this semester, it’s hard to do so without dwelling on its uniqueness. Not only did we, as a university, have the opportunity to welcome a new president onto our campus, but we also had to navigate a devastating hurricane and deal with its effects on our community at large. In both of those instances, and many others this fall term, I can’t help but feel a sense of pride for my school and the people within it, whether that’s my fellow students, faculty or administration. Compared to our neighbors in and around East Tennessee, Milligan saw very little damage, which I’m very grateful for. In light of that, it would’ve been very easy for us to continue on–like nothing had happened–during the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Instead, I saw an extreme and extraordinary response from the Milligan community; an outpouring of service and love that continues to this day.
Even though we are several months removed from the storm, there are still signs of its destruction all over our area. It’s hard to come to terms with that reality, yet there’s beauty and hope to be found in how God moved–and is continuing to move–in the East Tennessee community and here at Milligan.
Though this will be The Stampede’s last update of the year, we will be back in late January, so keep your eyes out. It has been a pleasure to be the paper’s editor this semester, and I look forward to seeing it out in 2025. Merry Christmas, readers.
Kindest regards,
Sam Kyker, Editor