Dear Daily readers,
As we have all hopefully settled into our back-to-school routines, I feel that it is important to welcome readers back and introduce some new things to you all.
First, to introduce myself, I am the new opinion editor, Caleb Weingarten. Last year, I started as a columnist and discovered that publishing to the Daily was an amazing way to interact with the Iowa State community in a way I never would have otherwise. It pushed me to become better and more disciplined in other areas of my life and, more importantly, offered me a haven for my creative desire to flourish.
As my first semester as editor, I look forward to working with many different people who possess a large variety of ideas, perspectives, voices and opinions. There is no opinion section without a gallant effort of participation and inquiry on behalf of the community.
In his essay, “The Frontiers of Art and Propaganda” George Orwell once said, “The events of the last ten years have left us rather in the air.” Of course, he was referring to England during his time; however, these words also resonate with our time seamlessly. Whether we look at the last 10 years or the last 1,000, it isn’t difficult to see that we are paradoxical beings: namely, we stress the desire for continuity and change in the positive direction but simultaneously place barriers and obstacles in our way.
Hard times prove to be relentless. However, one of the many ways we can move forward is to communicate and listen to each other, with emphasis on the latter. Merely hearing one another isn’t enough.
I want those in our community to feel like they have an opportunity to be heard, and this year, the opinion section and the Daily as a whole will be committed to this standard.
As the year progresses, I hope to hear from many of you so we can begin to tackle these obstacles and emerge on the other side as a better community than before.
All it takes is your willingness to participate.
Have a great semester.
Sincerely,
Caleb
