Well, this is certainly not how I expected to start my senior year.

Even the biggest pessimists (including myself) would have struggled to predict that when we transitioned to virtual learning due to an increase in COVID-19 cases last March that the pandemic would still be effecting our school plans the following year. We probably should have known that a hyper-contagious virus wouldn’t just magically disappear, but with how rapidly life was changing, it became difficult to look into the future. How were we supposed to know what three months down the road would look like when we were unsure about what the next week would hold? 

But now we’re here. That moment where summer begins to fade into fall that seemed so distant in May has knocked on our door and let itself in. And as we’re here, I want to give immense credit to the administration of St. George’s, who have created a flexible plan that has allowed students to choose return to campus in as safe of an environment as possible, or remain at home. The thoroughness of thought and attention to detail apparent in the plan of the administration is a massive credit to the quality of leadership in the organization.

I spent a long time this summer thinking of all the effects that the pandemic would have on the Lodge, and it became overwhelming. Realizing all the minutia of what would be affected by social distancing guidelines and other protocols used to ensure the health and safety of students felt like reading a list of casualties. But eventually, what I had interpreted as obstacles, I began to see as opportunities. 

The Lodge won’t look like what it has looked like in past years – but that’s okay. Allow me to clarify. 

There will be no magazine published by our staff this year. Instead, all our content that you would expect to see in the magazine will appear on our website (which is presumably what you’re reading this on right now). This creates a paradox for me. I love the grind of working towards a physical issue, and I’ll miss it immensely. However, I am elated by the endless numbers of possibilities that exist when working an online-only publication. I am a firm believer that limitation breeds creativity, and I have no doubt in my mind that our staff will think of new ways to inform, entertain and sustain this community in our digital space. 

One other major change that I wanted to point out you may have already guessed. The temporary elimination of our print publication means that I will be serving as the lone Editor-In-Chief of the Lodge this year. I am honored to have the trust of my advisor, Dr. Robertson, as well as the trust of my fellow staff members in undertaking this role. 

Make no mistake, our commitment to serving the St. George’s community will not change. We will continue to tell the stories that matter to our community, and we will remain steadfast in our pursuit of the truth. I refuse to let our current condition become an excuse for a decline in quality. 

So from us, expect more of the same. Just expect it in a very different way.