letter
ebruary is famous for its lengthy brevity. It’s generally known to be the coldest and dreariest time of year, the shortest month that seemingly takes just shy of an eternity to complete. People trudge through February simply to get to the more popular months, the brighter ones that boast new life and lighter jackets (looking at you, April). Right now, though, everyone’s cold and tired, and they want the world to know it. Me? I’m seeing sweet February for all the good and great she
from the
editor
encompasses. She is a fireworks display of pink hearts and candied declarations of feelings. She shines the spotlight on Black History, giving us the tools to keep that spotlight on all year round. She forces us to lean into a slower pace set by the weather, giving ourselves some of the rest and care we’ve passed up in the past. I’m here for all of it. And you should be, too — compassion’s never going out of style. While I can type that with ease, it’s no secret that we’re living in times when compassion doesn’t always play the lead. There’s a lot of hurt right now, a lot of hatred, and the violence, as we know, is ongoing. I’m not here to sugar-glaze over any of that. Kindness seems like the natural choice, but hatred can get picked first if it feels a little easier in the moment, particularly when we’re faced with something we don’t know and don’t understand. Hatred cuts a corner, and then cuts off the destination entirely. Compassion takes a little more legwork. It requires listening, it demands learning, and it can suggest we expand the goalposts of our stance. The thing that makes it easy? Knowledge. It is, in fact, the cornerstone of compassion, the amplifier of empathy. And it’s in our hands. We ourselves can seek more, learn more, and in turn, love more. So we must. Because, while I’m not an expert on much (aside from popcorn), I can
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letters welcome The Commuter encourages readers to use its “Opinion” section to express their views on campus, community, regional and national issues. The Commuter attempts to print all submissions received, but reserves the right to edit for grammar, length, libel, privacy concerns and taste. Opinions expressed by letter submitters do not represent the views of the Commuter staff or the College.
promise you this: we’re not going to get far without compassion in our back pocket. Here at The Commuter we believe in showcasing the diversity of our institution, along with the surrounding communities, all year-round. We want all the histories, the range of stories, the many profiles to forever line our pages, regardless of month. That said, it is our absolute honor to center this issue around February’s two best features — Black History and Love. The intersection of these staples swirls through this edition’s pages. And while they both go beyond February, we’re so excited to showcase what happens when the two collide. Warmer and lighter days are on the way, Roadrunners, I swear it. In the meantime, keep learning, keep asking, and keep giving. It’ll always be the brightest route.
Leah Biesack Editor-in-Chief
get together? join the team wanna We’re really nice and
fairly cool and we’d love to hear what you have to say. Not big on journalism but love to journal? Perfect. Are you a STEM major with major opinions? Let’s hear ’em. Like writing about ’80s film? Local animals? Snack hacks? Maybe you have a hefty folder of flash fiction on your laptop, just dying to be published and printed. Drop us a line. We’d love to meet you, read you, and support you. Think your ideas might be too weird or too niche for submission? Even better. The Commuter is an award-winning publication because of our wide range of contributions and our unique contributors. So reach out. We’ll be staring at our email inbox in the meantime, not an ounce of chill to be had.
illustration and cover by KAILYN MCQUISTEN