This summer, I lived in a brick house in a small Ohio town with my boyfriend’s mother, brother, step-father, step-brother and step-sister. There was Butterscotch, the family’s fluffy cat, and my hamsters, Baby and Tanner John, too.

As full as the house was, I did not live with the one person with whom I was familiar. My boyfriend stayed in Kent all summer, so without him to keep me company, his mother and I quickly got into the habit of embarking on hour-long walks through his small hometown.

I soon realized that the exercise was having a good effect on my body. Muscles I had thought were lost forever began to feel and look toned again.

As much as I was walking, however, I was eating enough to feed a large barn animal. Every time the family and I sat down to dinner, there was homemade lasagna or chicken casserole for me to throw down my throat — and I did, excusing my insane eating habits with my exercise.

I think many people tend to do what I did this summer: They accomplish one thing, only to use that accomplishment to excuse laziness or failure with another. An example: You save money on your car insurance and subsequently decide to charge $50 to your credit card, citing your savings as the reason you can spend in such a way. In doing so, you don’t really get ahead because you negate your savings with your spending.

I did the same with my walking and eating. I was proud of the way I exercised but then used the exercise as a reason to pound platefuls of fish and spaghetti.

I will not use my accomplishments as editor to excuse my failures. Instead, I intend to confront my problems and seek out solutions to them. I will work to put out a product that I appreciate, readers enjoy and professionals respect.

Too often, leaders decide on new goals for themselves and forget to continue the improvements made by others. I look to not only push for new things but continue accomplishments made by those who served before me.

Thus, as I push for an improved visual presence in the paper, I will continue encouraging reporters to cover the campus and community. Additionally, while the staff and I work to attract new readers with the new entertainment section, ALL, I hope to continue placing more content online for readers to enjoy. Finally, as we introduce two new features named Your Health and Your Culture, I hope to continue publishing a Forum page that presents the ideas of conservatives, liberals and moderates alike.

With every change I make, I intend to continue a past improvement. It makes sense for creating an overall quality product.

If you have suggestions, comments and/or criticism about the paper, write a letter to the editor, or contact me. Sometimes, remedies can be found. Other times, the staff members and I only can learn from the mistakes we make. Never, however, will I excuse our mistakes by citing the good things we do.

The staff and I work here to bring you a good paper. Let us know when it isn’t one, and please don’t forget to let us know when it is.

Michelle Park is a senior newspaper journalism major and the editor of the Daily Kent Stater. Contact her at [email protected].