Hi everyone,
In light of our last issue for the 2020-2021 academic year shipping out to staff, students and faculty, I would like to congratulate you all for ultimately pushing through the chaos. As students, we were all faced with challenges and burdens that have impacted our academics, work and private lives. Being forced to constantly pivot into unknown territory, VanCougs have continued to solve problems with no past solutions, forging a new path for higher education.
For The VanCougar team and other student organizations, transitioning to a remote environment was strenuous enough. While navigating adversities we were all presented with, we questioned the future of what our operations would look like, and the ability to sustain our promises to keep the student body engaged and informed.
Speaking from personal experience, there were times where my team and I were pushed to an absolute breaking point while having no adviser to lead us through the year and facing trouble with staff retention. However, reporting on topics such as forest fires, racial injustice, loss of family members and more, we soon recognized the value of sharing your stories as you were experiencing them. Considering all the devastation and havoc I have witnessed my peers tolerate within this past year, the biggest lesson I have learned from you all is to grow through it.
Mental health has been a critical topic among students and staff during this pandemic, and for good reason. By the end of this semester, I hope you all have the privilege to take time to recharge and reflect on what you have accomplished. We know this year has been unbearable for some, and with this, I encourage each of you to celebrate the small wins and acknowledge the challenges you overcame to get to where you are now.
If you have any thoughts, opinions, questions or a story to pitch to our publication, please feel free to email me at van.vc.editor@wsu.edu, my team and I would love to hear your feedback. Looking onwards to next year, I hope to take the lessons I have learned and apply them to better serve the student body during the 2021-2022 academic year.
I’ll see you next time VanCougs.
Sincerely,
Emily Baumann
Editor-in-Chief
Emily is a senior studying integrated strategic communication at WSU Vancouver.