The Montage says goodbye to Room 220A
BY: BRENDAN SMITH
Staff Writer
This issue of The Montage, the final of Volume 60, is also the final print edition published while The Montage is based out of Room 220A of the Student Center. As a result of the ongoing STLCC Transformed projects, the Student Center is scheduled to be heavily renovated, and The Montage will be moving to another space on the Meramec campus for the fall semester and beyond.
The May 2025 issue marks the end of the era, as The Montage has been produced out of Room 220A since before the new millennium. It also marks the end of an era for The Montage’s Managing Editor Jacob Politte, who is leaving the role and opting to take on a smaller section editor role after a near 4-year tenure.
“It’s time,” Politte said. “I love reporting, and I’m proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish as an editor. But I’ve been doing this for a while and it’s time for someone else to take the reins.”
Politte said he had probably become a little too comfortable, bringing many of his personal belongings and books into the room to make his “office” feel more comfortable. He joked that moving those items back out has been “kind of a pain.”
Politte has also used the same Mac computer at the same station since 2019. While he’s ready for a change, he said he’s feeling a little “weird” about the upcoming shift in location.
“I think I’ll feel weird not sitting there anymore,” he said. “When you’re used to it, and you’re used to kind of the same role in the same space, you get a little comfortable,” Politte said. “You don’t really appreciate how comfortable things are until you’re not in that space anymore.”
Montage Faculty Adviser Shannon Sanders has worked out of the room since she took over from the previous adviser in the fall of 2007 and has bore witness to a lot of chaos.
“When I first started here in 2007, we did not leave from production night until like two in the morning, sometimes later. You can imagine that everyone gets a little slap happy later at night,” Sanders said.
Politte said he took pride in always completing the issues during the afternoon hours.
“I’m definitely an early bird in a lot of ways,” he joked.
Despite all the chaos, Sanders will still hold a special place in her heart for Student Center Room 220A.
“I know it’s just a room, but many current and former staffers will say it holds a special place in their heart,” Sanders said. “It was kind of a home away from home.”
