Editorial: The Return of the Newspaper
It is once again the beginning of a new school year. First-years are getting ready to begin their gruesome journeys, seniors are scrambling to get their final classes done, and for all the people in between, they are slowly forging their path towards graduation.
As students, we all follow compasses that will, through wrong turns and impetuous life-making decisions, lead us to where we ultimately need to be; wherever that is. Whether getting to the finish line looks like dropping out of school, changing newspaper format or double-majoring in linguistics and creative writing, with a minor in administration, it has to be mentioned that our lives were uprooted by COVID-19.
As a collective, we have faced mass disorientation and, going on three strong years, have had to reorient ourselves to what it means to continue living through a global pandemic. Although the shift brought by the virus had benefits for some, for others, the consequences were devastating. Housing became an issue of survival, the immunocompromised population saw their needs ignored, and amongst many other issues, our community saw a decline in mental health and governmental care for essential workers and what it meant to be one. It is safe to say our compasses went haywire.
For Vol. 43 of The Link, we went back to the publication's archives, and after a five year magazine run, we have decided to return to a newspaper format. Instead of publishing in print a few times a year, our newspaper will be available every two weeks on both campuses, at a stand near you and at numerous locations around the city.
As students make their way back to campus, exiting their summer work schedules, and entering the realities of a new fall semester, the same problems remain. Fear for affordable housing, job instability, the ever-escalating tuition fees and poor student representation and accessibility to university services, which are paid for by students, persist in making our community antsy and unsettled. It is primordial to keep on making the university accountable for the decisions they are making for the 2022-23 school year. Unsettled
Despite Quebec being on the tail end of the seventh wave, masks are no longer required on campus, and they have not been since June 22. How will the establishment responsible for the health and safety of its student body and internal staff make sure that the needs of its entire community are listened to, and met.
We are coming back to a normal way of living. But is that right?
This article originally appeared in Volume 43, Issue 1, published August 30, 2022.
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