The ARC Current undergoes a huge change

The staff of the Current has had to face a dismaying loss; Adviser Rich Mellott, mentor, teacher, and journalistic inspiration, will not be returning as faculty advisor to this newspaper in the fall.  Lisa Lawrenson, Dean of Humanities, could not confirm who the new adviser will be.

Most students have a favorite instructor, just as instructors often have favorite students, even though they may deny any such thing.  There is chemistry, an affinity, which flows between individuals and synergistically amplifies the talents of each person beyond the sum of their parts.  This is how we, the student staff of the Current, view Mellott.  

At first glance one can easily mislabel Mellott "the kooky professor," the one with no filing system (his office had no filing cabinet installed), who twists his short hair with antsy fingers when he's thinking about or discussing the creation of something excellent.

Mellott is the instructor that will take your piece to edit, then go help another student on a different piece with your article in his hand. Later, you find yourself retracing his steps to locate your paper, because you're anxious to see his corrections and suggestions on how you can better your report and yourself as a writer.

Mellott can also be described as a deadline-driven journalist under a ton of stress when it appears the newspaper won't be transmitted to the printer on schedule. Mellott is the man that will come to the office during spring break so the staffers can do their jobs and get the paper laid out while everyone else is in Cancun having a vacation.

Mellott is the guy that is entirely accepting and forgiving of rookies' ignorance about newspaper production or AP style of writing, and is gracious and humorous as he guides us along at an unprecedented pace. Mellott is the "get-it-done guy," backing up every facet of the school's newspaper operations, delegating tasks with grace and tact, and spending hours of his personal time to assure everything gets handled appropriately.

Mellott is the design genius who drives his editors nearly mad with last minute lay-out suggestions, yet who invariably improves the final product each and every issue.

Mellott is the person that can make even the most discouraged and confused student feel capable and confident in their abilities, simply due to the fact that he sees those talents and has an uncanny way of drawing them out.

Mellott is the experienced sports writer who takes the time to sit down and talk intelligently with his reporters about any and all athletic topics. Mellott is the guiding hand that gently leads and helps each student progress on his or her own specific path.  Mellott is the newspaperman who sees the value in dropping an assigned story idea when a writer brings in something new and unforeseen, displaying a flexibility and open-mindedness that fuels brainstorming and originality among the staff.  

Mellott is all of these things and more.  One semester under his tutelage brought this writer out of the woodwork and into the word-work, going gangbusters right off the bat by advancing me from staff writer to managing editor by my third edition. Imagining fall semester without Mellott is a painful and unsettling thing, but it's easy to see he has taught us all more than enough to carry on without him.  

A new adviser, possibly a new editor-in-chief, a new photography editor, and an unknown quantity of new J401 students will be bringing you the Current in the fall.  It remains to be seen how these changes will affect the newspaper, but one thing I know without a doubt; Richard Mellott has been invaluable to the Current, and he will be sorely missed.

We wish Rich hearty good luck with his new endeavors, and fiercely hope he remains with us, if not as advisor, then for sure, as friend.