It’s official—Matt Rappolt and I will be the editors of Arthur’s Volume 49.
From the look of things, it’s possible that we’ll be treated to one of the most newsworthy years in recent memory.
Trent is celebrating it’s 50th, a new President is taking over, the colleges are undergoing changes, there’s going to be a municipal election (and probably a provincial one), and the student centre will be either moving forward or dying a cruel death after a year of suffering, among other things.
And that’s just what we know about already. There’s no telling what else will happen around Trent and Peterborough in the coming year.
This all seems to be laid out fairly easily for us, but in reality an abundance of important things to cover probably puts more pressure on the incoming editors than if it were an average year.
It’s crucial for us to provide excellent coverage of these stories, not just to keep students and community members well informed, but also to track this incredibly important year in Trent’s history.
I feel more pressure going into my second term than I did going into my first.
That said, I’m confident that Matt and I are cut out for it, and I’m excited to get to work with him. I think we’ll make a fantastic editorial team.
In the past few weeks I’ve been extremely critical of the TCSA’s election and the candidates who ran in it, or rather, the lack of candidates running.
If you’ve been following our editorial election at all you’ll have noticed the story was the same on our end—only one option for the most important position in the organization.
I like to think that this is because things have been relatively calm at Arthur, especially when compared to the past few years. Past volumes have been rife with financial problems, resigning editors, do-nothing boards, in-fighting, and distance from the Trent community.
This year, none of that was the case. We just put out a paper every week and tried to cover as much as possible.
But running unopposed is still something that’s troubled me for weeks.
At Arthur it’s usually apparent long before the nomination deadline who will be running for editor. As such, I’ve known for a while now that Matt and I would be running alone.
I felt a little uneasy with myself for writing those editorials, knowing full well that the organization I was running (and would inevitably keep running) would be in the same situation in just a few weeks.
So I’ll extend the same challenge to Matt and myself that I offered to the incoming TCSA executive:
“The winners of this election should make it their primary goal during their tenure to demonstrate to the students of Trent that they were truly the right candidates for this position, not just the only ones.”
Of course, we’re also accountable to the Staff Collective and non-student members, but the overall point remains the same.
This year Arthur has been a bigger presence in the Trent community and has got more students involved in the paper than in any year I can remember. It is our intention to continue this trend next year.
The focus of Volume 48 has been primarily on campus and local news and arts, which is something Matt and I also intend to continue and improve upon. That’s what Arthur does best, and that’s what it ought to continue to do.
It’s a personal goal of mine to see more special issues on topics like race, sexuality, and gender, that give a platform to marginalized communities at Trent. This is something that Arthur has historically done more than it does now (though we’ve done a good job of it this year), and something that other publications cannot or will not do.
