Like others before me, this is my farewell article.

I have been at UTM for several years and realized that life is too short to worry about petty things. My time here at UTM has made me a more independent and stronger woman.

I have learned that if you want things changed, then you must be willing to stand alone sometimes. I realize that you do not always get what you deserve, whether it is good or bad. I understand now that no matter how hard you work or are dedicated at something, sometimes people that do less work will be appreciated more for their last-minute efforts.

I have learned that no one can intimidate you unless you give them the power to, and if they try, just say to them, “Bet!,” because they are not “shunny.” And as someone tells me constantly, “You have to choose your battles.”

There will definitely be some battles that you are going to want to fight to the death, but sometimes they are not worth your time and stress level. You can get ulcers if you stress out too much. I should know.

As for the next executive editor of The Pacer, it is important that you communicate with your managing editor and paid staff members so that the staff as a whole will be of one accord.

If you, the executive editor, managing editor and paid staff communicate well, then it makes the adviser’s position a bit easier. Remember that you are all adults and should act like it!

Besides, you are not always going to get along, but you do have to all work together as a team. And there is not an “I” in “team.”

So, to the next executive editor, when you have to make crucial decisions remember that you have a staff that just may support your decisions if you communicate with them.

And to the next managing editor, it is important that you remain civil and professional, even when you do not always want to.

And to the other staff members, sometimes you may not agree with what the executive or managing editor says, but it is important that you let them know with a calm mind, spirit and tongue.

I plead with The Pacer to try to remain non-biased toward certain organizations, if that is possible. Remember that the student newspaper and Web site are not for personal gain.

But it is the duty of the newspaper to provide accurate and non-biased information to the students to enhance the readers’ knowledge as to what is happening on campus and around them.

I know that the usual campus problems will most likely remain the same, but I encourage students to embrace the diversity and multicultural experiences that present themselves each day.

I urge students to be open-minded and try to make friends outside their ethnic group. And I encourage students to accept the challenges before them as opportunities, rather than obstacles.

And to my fellow communications students, I demand that you start on your senior portfolios now, and to any underclassman news-editorial student, please do an internship.

And to PR students, please remember the newsworthy qualities, ask more than the basic questions when writing for The Pacer and don’t wait until the semester you take senior seminar to do your 10 newspaper clips when the newspaper has only three issues left.

I have had to overcome several obstacles to make it to the point of no return, and I continue to face one more.

I will continue to pray that I pass Math 210 and I thank my professor for being so patient and helpful with me.

Although I am a fighter and refuse to back down from challenges, the support of several people in my life has been appreciated and I thank God for giving me strength.

First, I would like to thank my mother for pushing me and believing in me continuously. And of course, I must thank the love of my life, Rico, for being so tolerant of all the changes and things that you have been through with me during my time here.

You have been extremely supportive of me, and a shoulder to lean on when I thought that I would not make it. And I publicly apologize for you know what.

I must truly thank Mrs. Tomi McCutchen Parrish for being like a second mother to me, as well as an adviser. You have taught me a lot that I will be able to take with me and use to be more than a great journalist.

To Ms. Teresa Collard, I thank you for “positively reinforcing” me. Dr. Nanney, thank you for providing me with the knowledge of desktop publishing – now I can start my own business. To Mrs. Dorotha Norton, I will always remember to warm up before a speech with, “The lips, the teeth, the tip of the tongue.

The lips, the teeth, the tip of the tongue.” And to the entire Communications Department, thank you for being a second family.

To big sister Deborah Williams Boyd, I must thank you for making it possible for me to be part of an amazing, devoted, strong and trailblazing sisterhood. And to my sisters of Delta Sigma Theta ... OOOOOO-OOP my Sorors! All I ask is that you all continue the public service and the things that our chapter and organization have been recognized for.

And to the few friends that I have made on Pacer staff (Rebecca, Emily, Greg, Kevin, Candace, Joey and Cathy): stay out of trouble, please make an effort to get along, but still don’t take $#!+ from anyone. If you have an opinion then make your voices heard. And remember that you may not always be able to avoid confrontations.

UTM students, it is important that you take the time to enjoy your time here. It will probably be the only time that you get to be foolish and people say that it is just a part of being in college.

Remember that life is what you make of it, and so is your college experience.

Yes, I know that UTM can be boring most of the time, but it is up to you to change that!

Students, make sure that The Pacer is diverse and represents the entire student body. I hope that more students will remember that the student newspaper is “For the students, by the students.”

To make the newspaper represent the entire student body, it is important that you, the students, inform The Pacer of what is going on with you. I am not sure how diverse the staff will be, but please try to make sure that what you read each week is as diverse as the students for whom it is printed.

Also, please remember that The Pacer will have deadlines and if you want things published about you that you must meet those deadlines.

I hope that the 2003-04 Pacer staff will find a more efficient way to stay connected with the students.

As for me, I am not completely sure where my degree and life will lead me. I do know that I will do whatever it takes to make my dreams come true.

I will still be around taking steps to achieve my goals and starting my own desktop publishing business, while working on designing my own magazine that I expect you all to subscribe to someday!

Good luck to all of you and remember that life is not promised, so live each day as though it is your last.

Tan-tra` Terrell is a senior Communications major from Memphis. She has served as managing editor of The Pacer.