I am a family man. After all, families are the origin of those quaint little personality quirks that make us charming, unique and impossible to love.

I love my family. We’re a close-knit bunch that bands together when times are tough to make fun of our neighbors across the street. We’re not exactly the Cleavers. There are bitchy insults. There are slamming doors. There is a codependent relationship with raw cookie dough. And, of course, there’s a whole lot of love. However turbulent it is, I have learned to love the oh-so-emotive house I grew up in.

When it came time to leave my biological family behind for the greener pastures of this our nation’s fourth most dangerous city, I was anxious to find myself a dysfunctional family of friends to help me feel at home at Saint Louis University. Then, one day, I walked into The University News offices. Like every family, this one scared the bejesus out of me at first. Everyone seemed so old and smart, and I just felt so young and stupid. But over time, I grew to know and love the staff, and I have come to feel old and not so stupid myself.

Contemporary journalism lends itself to this sort of communal vibe. Open jobs are next to impossible to find and massive layoffs are an everyday occurrence. When I meet a fellow would-be journalist, our eyes meet and we exchange sympathetic expressions.

The student journalists of The UNews have been through a lot together. Believe it or not, we spend countless hours putting each week’s edition together, and after a while, you get to know your coworkers pretty well. The staff here has seen me at my best-right after Kate Winslet won her Golden Globes-and at something resembling my worst-that time I grew out my hair into an Afro that looked like it was going to eat the rest of my head.

They know that when I look like I’m about to kick a kitten, the best way to calm me down is “Fergalicious” on YouTube. When I say something that doesn’t make sense, they know it’s probably an obscure reference to “30 Rock.” And when a box of Cheez-Its enters my line of vision, they know to stay out of my way.

I hate to say this, but I’m not that special. Every college student wants to find a group of like-minded goobers who love us warts and all. Some of us find our surrogate families in the Senate chambers, others crash on the couches at Campus Ministry and others sweat it out on the intramural fields.

At any rate, I have found my fake family. I might be biased, but I think we’re a pretty swell bunch.

This new column will give everyone on the Editorial Board a chance to introduce themselves and write about our weekly travails. Sit back and enjoy the dementia. And, don’t forget, we’re always looking for more contributors, admirers and hangers on, so you can always stop by and observe the motley crew yourself.

Adam Tamburin is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. He is the Editor-in-Chief of The University News.