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learn about journalism, there definitely are.

If you want to be a better writer, storyteller, researcher, photographer, videographer, designer, illustrator, manager, and maybe even develop better people skills... I am literally incapable of telling you how much opportunity exists in the, now virtual, sub basement. They even have a drone, so the sky could literally be the limit— well, whatever the max altitude of the drone is would technically be the limit.

Join us, rack up some sweet published work for your portfolio, CV, and resume.

I am very excited about the magazine’s leadership and life moving forward. Vivian Veidt is taking the reins as Executive Editor of The Sentinel, I know that it will be in good hands. Vivian is organized, incredibly smart, knows words a lot better than I do, and has a strong grasp on the importance of ethics and responsible journalism. Haley Riley has not only done an incredible job for the design, production, and growth of her team but is also a fierce advocate for the designers, illustrators, and photographers that work for her. Our Opinion, Arts and Culture, and News sections have consistently been raising the bar month after month with compelling and engaging pieces.

Thanks y’all, can’t wait to see what you do,

Here’s to you, here’s to June.

This issue is jam-packed. Our contributors and editors have really stepped things up to send you into the summer with a lot of incredible articles to read and have truly given us all a lot of important things to think about.

We’re going to hear about some more COVID-19 updates. As a short side note: we talked about burnout last issue, there is a lot of rough news out there. Make sure to give yourself the mental space to be okay during all this, but also make sure to check in every once in a while to be aware of what’s going on. Ignorance is bliss, but knowledge is power—strike a healthy balance.

We take a look at how the spread of coronavirus is affecting prisons and jails, incarcerated people, and the communities around those institutions; a major pandemic takeaway: even if you’re a cold-hearted monster who doesn’t care about the health of people in the criminal justice system, their health affects your health and the health of those you love, too. In a further look at the criminal justice system one of our writer talks about the reasons that the death penalty is ready to die.

We see how the switch to remote learning is affecting our education systems, educators, and students. Virtual commencement is pretty controversial, we definitely hear you. Three articles hash out whether or not PSU’s decision to host the class of 2020’s graduation via a live-streamed glorified slideshow was the right choice (at a press conference on May 23, then-Interim President Stephen Percy said PSU is working with ASPSU to figure out another way to honor and celebrate the class of 2020’s achievements in addition to the virtual ceremony).

Local businesses are having a tough go of things: We look at how some movie theaters are adapting during this crisis; we stop into Portland’s Cal Skate skateboarding shop while trying to figure out whether or not skateboarding during quarantine is a crime or just healthy exercise like biking and running that is okay to do; and we revisit one of Portland’s most notorious controversies: white people profiting off of other cultures by appropriating their food— while we all had too much fun with this three years ago, the pandemic has added extra layers to the story.

Many people have opted to reenact the Great British Baking Show in their own homes during Oregon’s “Stay Home, Save Lives” order, including one of our writers who talks about the cultural legacies and connections we have to ancient history when we bake sourdough.

An author examines why they think James Bond should remain 007, and that the character should continue to be portrayed by a white man. The writer alleges that if we want to point the finger of inequity anywhere, it should be at ourselves for being too lazy and uncreative to create a new, equally, or more, compelling series for people of color and women to portray the leading roles in.

A compelling piece of satire exists as a result of the very real reality that Trump is widely supported by zealous evangelicals of the religious right. T he author creates a debate between Josh Cohen and Ronald Schmuck. Cohen debates the schmuck through the adaptation of bible verses which contradict Schmuck’s worldview, leadership style, and concern for humanity.

We take a look at how neoliberalism has been working out, examine the cultural phenomenon of Tiger King, and talk about why continuing to care is important. We also take a very enlightening tour of the way the medium of film has been used to disseminate ideas about labor unions: some really great, some really bad, and some just absurd propaganda.

I’m incredibly proud and impressed by the work that went into this issue and I truly hope you enjoy reading it as much as I have. Party on in a socially distant fashion and take care of yourselves and each other, Signing off forever, <3 Jake Johnson Executive Editor