Dear Connor, 

In last week’s print edition of The Slate, you issued an open call to “especially busy Raiders out there who may have some advice on how to keep it all together.” 

Much like you, I am always in a rush. I am in my senior year of college with a 15-credit upper-division class schedule. I am also highly involved with all four of the student media groups on campus. I love being multimedia director at The Slate and the weather anchor for Shippensburg Television (SUTV). I have two shows that air on WSYC 88.7 FM, our campus’ radio station. I have newly been taken in as a member of SU’s Public Relations Student Society of America.  

Beyond this, I am also highly involved with SU’s music department as a member of the marching band, brass ensemble and Kappa Kappa Psi, the music service fraternity. 

I tutor 10 hours a week as well in the Learning Center where you and I have gotten to bond and become much closer. In fact, I am writing this response to you in between tutoring sessions. I also work six hours a week as a content creator for the Communication, Journalism and Media Department, writing newsletters and making social media posts among other tasks.

I am a member of the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” cast. I am actively working on completing my honors capstone project. I am a sister, daughter, granddaughter and a friend.  

I am also drained. 

I wish I had a simple answer for this dilemma we both share, but I do not. Much like you, I overload my plate. 

Personally, I feel like I am stuck trying to catch up from COVID-19 pandemic which prohibited me from getting involved on campus sooner. I started at Shippensburg University in Fall 2020, in the height of COVID-19 with my aging grandmother at home as the sole guardian of my underaged sister. Because of this, I had — and still have — a lot of anxieties surrounding the pandemic which limited how much I left my dorm room and thusly made friends and became involved.  

Would it shock you to say that I did not start at The Slate until the end of my sophomore year? Even then, my participation was menial and apprehensive. 

I am so glad I did. 

Photos I took in the spring of my sophomore year went on to win awards at the 2023 Keystone Media Awards. Friends I made are still with me today despite many of them graduating. I have come out of my shell and started going toward my dreams — all thanks to getting involved. 

How can I cut back on what I do when everything means so much to me? Everything I do is so fulfilling. It is my last year; I cannot quit now.  I am sure you experience similar feelings. 

This semester, I stepped down from one of my leadership positions with much difficulty and many tears. I weighed how much being in this position made me feel versus how much I got out of it and determined that it just was not for me anymore. There is nothing wrong with growing out of a position and stepping back from it. That is something I have learned and am still dealing with; maybe knowing this can help you, too.  

I have rattled on for almost 600 words now, and I am not sure that I have addressed your initial request for advice. 

I guess my point with this letter is to share with you that you are not alone.  Rely on your friends, your fellow Slaters — me — if you ever need anything. If anything, being as highly involved as we both are gives us both a strong network of support. Be sure to use it. 

Let me know if you get any magic solution in the meantime, Connor.

All the best,

Allyson Ritchey.

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