The summer is almost over and I find myself looking back on the many accomplishments of the past year. The Star had another successful year in winning awards for journalism excellence and design as well as hosting another successful Hall of Fame Dinner last February. We inducted six very worthy individuals for 2004 who displayed the qualities that exemplify the values nurtured from the experience of working at the Star. Again, as always, there continue to be many worthy applicants and we encourage all alumni to nominate individuals for consideration in upcoming classes.
This last year also saw its share of challenges. There currently is an appeal pending in the case Hosty v. Carter regarding a very important decision made by a three-judge panel of the federal court stating that student editors at Governors State University should be held to a higher standard than high school journalists in protection of their first amendment rights and be allowed to publish their school paper without the threat of censorship by administration officials. In June 2003, an 11-judge panel overturned that decision and arguments in the appeal were heard in January 2004. A decision in this case is expected any time now. All of us here await the decision on this important case that will impact the future of student journalism as we know it.
This article also serves as a chance for me to stress the importance of getting and staying involved in the happenings at our old stomping ground. We all benefited from the involvement of alumni when we were part of the Star in one form or another, and it is our responsibility to continue that same support for those that come after us. This involvement can take the form of mentoring a current Star student, providing information on job opportunities at your company, providing advice on succeeding after college or as little as being on the e-mail and mailing lists and keeping us abreast of happenings in your lives. I encourage you to continue your unwavering support of the Star and hope to see you at upcoming events. Keep in touch!