Democracy was in rare form at Penn State this week.

Penn State administrators, the university's executive decision-makers, chose to delegate the responsibility of student football-ticket allocation to fate. A lottery system was agreed upon so that every student would have an "equal" chance of acquiring tickets for the upcoming season.

You all know how that worked out.

The students, the university's constituents, spoke up and acted out in protest of the administration's decision. Their voices were heard, and policy changed.

There was one more element to this story. One more player had a part.

Most people heard about Penn State's decision when they read the headline "Ticket policy changed" in Wednesday's Daily Collegian, the one newspaper in the entire world that dedicates 100 percent of its resources to covering everything Penn State.

It's true that many people found out about the change from Facebook.com and others saw the press release on live.psu.edu, but I'm willing to bet the majority of Penn State students got the news from that headline and story.

Not to knock Facebook groups or the Penn State public relations department, but these are not unbiased or objective sources for news.

Chances are the group "Branch Campus Kids Stole My Football Tickets" has an agenda. So does Penn State, whether we're talking about football tickets, dangerous drinking or the future of Penn State student government.

And that, my fellow students, is why this newspaper is so crucial to the lives of the people who attend this university.

Penn Staters of today and tomorrow, argue all you want about how well the Collegian does its job, but never question the value of its role.

I appeal to you not only because I love the Collegian, but also because, believe it or not, I love Penn State.

It's true. The secret's out.

The editor in chief of the Collegian does actually have a soft spot for Dear Old State.

My fondness for Penn State and my connection to the Collegian are what make it so difficult for me to say goodbye, especially when I have so much to say and so little space to do it.

I've thought for a long time about what I want my last official words as the Collegian's editor in chief to be.

More than anything, I think I just want everyone to know how much I've gained from my experience as both a normal college student and the executive editor of a daily newspaper, at the same time.

Neither has been more or less valuable than the other. For both I am grateful.

I learned this year, first and foremost, that I cannot possibly make everyone happy. And for the first time in my life, I think I'm OK with that.

I can say with confidence that I did the best that I could in the time that I had to make a difference at this newspaper and at this university. Any impact I've made as an individual I hope has been for the best.

And now that my opportunity to reach readers is limited to a few more inches of newsprint, I've got only a few more things to say.

I want to tell you how unbelievable the people are who work at the Collegian. They are among the best at this university.

I want to encourage you to continue to pick up this newspaper as often as possible for the betterment of yourself and for the betterment of this community. Knowledge truly does equal power.

And finally, I want to ask all Penn Staters never to devalue the importance of the Collegian as an independent institution.

The quality and prestige of Penn State University is tied strongly and directly to the independence and credibility of the Collegian.

There is no better way to love Penn State than to support the mission of the student newspaper that holds it accountable.