Dear Readers:

Thank you for reading and supporting The Commentary these past two years! The Commentary, which started at CWSL in 1973 as a print newspaper, entered a new era when we created the first-ever Commentary website in the Fall of 2017.

At the very beginning, we were truly a blank slate. We had no writers and no content — just an empty website with endless possibilities. And over time, those possibilities became realized. That started with our very first edition in November 2017, in which we were able to celebrate New Media Rights’ ten-year anniversary and the California Innocence Project’s exoneration of wrongfully convicted prisoners.

We had 5,800 site views during year one, and since then, that number has tripled!!! Admittedly, probably at least 1,000 of those views were from me proofreading the site obsessively. But at least a few of them were from a lovely woman who will be attending Cal Western in the fall as a 1L. I met her at the new students’ reception held a few weeks ago. Without knowing my involvement with The Commentary, she said she eagerly reads each new edition and that reading The Commentary made her excited to attend school here. This was the most amazing thing to hear. Further, it made me realize how valuable student journalism is in capturing the essence of what makes Cal Western such a special place, and preserving that impression as a legacy for future students and the larger legal community.

From the start, The Commentary’s mission has been to highlight our vibrant student life and keep students informed about important issues. In our second year, we focused on expanding our coverage to include entertainment pieces in addition to campus and legal news.

Since we launched the online Commentary two years ago, we have published 90 articles and have had over 16,000 site views! We are thrilled with how far The Commentary has come, and we have even greater aspirations as we go forward.

Since I came to Cal Western two years ago as a transfer student, Cal Western has truly become my new academic home and community. I really want to thank all of the students, staff, and faculty who have been so supportive of me and have made me feel welcome. Cal Western has done so much for me, and I feel honored and humbled to have been able to give back to CWSL through The Commentary.

This would not have been possible without the contributions of all of the students, faculty, and staff who have submitted articles — so thank you to everyone who has helped, even in a small way! Special thanks to The Commentary’s faculty advisors Robert Bohrer and Ken Klein, SBA, Student Services, and the CWSL marketing department for promoting our efforts and supporting us from day one.

Next year’s Commentary staff will be headed by Editors-in-Chief Tandis Taghavi and Parsa Nozzari. We also have an entirely new Editorial Board, so be sure to check out our new Staff Page, and definitely be in touch with them next year in order to participate! The core of “student journalism” is students, so it’s up to the students at CWSL next year to create The Commentary that you want to see. I can’t wait to tune in!

With much thanks,

Sara Gold (Commentary Editor-in-Chief, 2017-2019)