I loathe top-10 lists of anything. At first, it felt like a huge cop-out to make this feature a look at the 10 most-read stories at nexusnewspaper.com in 2019 and say, “This is what everyone liked, see you next year.” But for us at the Nexus office, it’s not that at all. The end result of writing is a duck having a nice little swim; we’re not seeing the legs hard at work. Doing this article opened my eyes to how hard we all work for this paper, and how important each story can be to both the writers and the students.
So, this story is a splendid way to look back and learn from the highs and lows of working in the office, and to measure how we’ve evolved here at Nexus. Most of all, it’s a chance to see what the students are reading, which is the most important part of the paper, after all.
Looking back on the year, my life in the office changed significantly, mostly because I now actually work in the office. I always feel like I’m walking in all the past features writers’ shoes (especially Fred Cameron’s, now that it’s been a year since his 2018 top-10 feature was published). These are huge shoes to fill, and I already feel like I’m clowning around in them as I write this. It’s an honour, for sure, but it’s a duty that I really take seriously. When the due date for a feature hits and I send the draft off to managing editor Greg Pratt, it’s like I’ve been released from a two-week curse and I can work on the next big thing.
By the time next year comes, I’ll have grown into it, and I’ll be able to comfortably work in non-clown shoes. This clown metaphor got out of hand; I’d better stop now and just dive right into my analysis of the stories that were the most popular this year on nexusnewspaper.com.
I was surprised to see that this was only number 10 on the list. Academic theft is a problem I hear about a lot, and there’s always a warning about it at the bottom of our course outlines. In this piece, Cameron really alters the reader’s perspective on what the definition of plagiarism actually is, and what we consider it to be. How has our technology contributed to the rise of plagiarism… or is it really even on the rise? Seeing people in my own world spew the same ideas from others, I wonder if the matter of originality should be considered plagiarism because, after all, “borrowing” an idea isn’t giving much room for independent thought. But what if the thought is your own, just from last year, or another class?
Features—and I know this by now—are complicated, but this one is particularly complicated. If you haven’t already, read this story for yourself. Then read it a second and third time.
We were surprised to see Know Your Profs show up in this list for the second year in a row. But the nice thing about that is that now we know that students here love their instructors and faculty. Case in point: the popularity of this Q&A with Camosun Career Services employment facilitator Irene Wallace.
We caught up with Wallace to tell her the good news. Talking with Wallace shows why she made it on this list; she really makes students believe in their future.
“Each one of us does have a huge opportunity to make a difference, and I guess that’s always what I’m trying to encourage students to do,” says Wallace. “Don’t be thinking ‘I’m just a little old student,’ or ‘I’m not important.’ Well, you are, and if you’re willing to step forward and try to make a difference and have an impact on whatever it is you might be interested in, a whole bunch of ones add up to a great big world-changer sometimes.”
Back in late 2018, Nexus got an email from a concerned student (which is how many of our stories start—keep those emails coming!) who had some concerns about the state of the bike lane leading out to Interurban. Especially during poor weather, the mud would completely cover up the lane, meaning cyclists had to dart out into the road during a curvy, hilly stretch that people routinely speed in (update: almost a year later, the bike lane still looks like garbage).
It’s actually a disservice to say that this article is just about a bike lane. The safety of citizens should always come first, and the constant war between car drivers and cyclists is a bitter fight for safer transportation. After all, roads are what get us to campus. There’s no reason to go to school if just getting there is a danger.
Maybe some of us don’t think much of going on our morning commute. There is always the small chance some idiot driver is speeding because, obviously, their time is more precious than your safety, but what will the school do when those situations results in accidents on that bike lane?
When I first looked at this story, I thought it was just about a bike lane. But it’s about student safety, which is why it resonated so well with our student readers. We wish we could say the story had a better ending, but hopefully those bike lanes get the attention they need sooner rather than later.
7. “Camosun eyes potential Interurban film studio” (August 6, 2019, written by Kate Wood)
This story encapsulates everything about 2019: it shows the college moving with the times and exploring ways to teach students new skills. Maybe with a film studio—which would include 3D animation—we could have Camosun students go into specific arts programs as filmmakers and actually direct, shoot, and model a better remake of Cats on a lower budget. It’s probably not that hard.
But there are questions and concerns that come up: what’s this going to do in relation to the college’s new master plan? Is it that practical? What about the truly impossible parking situation at Interurban? This won’t help unless the college builds a parking lot that can definitely handle the new number of students the building will bring in (one Saanich resident who lives near the college recently told Nexus that they think this building is a bad idea, as it will just mean even more traffic and students parking on their road).
In terms of industry work, especially for the arts, it’s certainly an investment that would pay off for young film students. Offering a hands-on approach for students will bring their skills, and Camosun’s programs, up to date and into the future. Plus, with Camosun serving as an inexpensive and introductory alternative, adding a film studio will bring us up to par with industry-specific programs like the ones at Vancouver Film School and Emily Carr. The problem with these specialized programs is that they’re intense and immersive, which means a lot of hours, a lot of fancy equipment, a lot of exclusivity, and a lot of overworking with no reward. However, Camosun having intimate and introductory classrooms will give passionate students a low-stakes chance to experiment in a professional setting.
As a lover of literature and a fan of 19th-century Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, I was so happy to hear that the Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre gave a chance for a healthy debate around their performance of Ibsen’s The Master Builder. In this story, our former staff writer Katy Weicker builds a gorgeous narrative around how timeless literature can be, and what the discussion should be surrounding a century-old play. How can a play set in the 19th century, talking about 19th-century values, be applicable to our modern audiences, and should it even be?
The article appeals to the modern artist, also talking about director Brian Richmond’s experimenting with avant-garde approaches and interpreting how the play should be performed. This story exemplifies how artists communicate through other works, how each explanation and understanding of a piece of art differs from artist to artist, and how we need to approach all art pieces, especially ones worlds away from us, with an active eye and open mind. It’s incredibly special to see Weicker’s influence on the paper and her journey in it (although I only arrived near the end of her time here). I really wish all the best for her, and she certainly has inspired a new generation of feminist journalists in the office.
Also, is there a secret Ibsen fan club out there, and if so, can I join?
I’m not surprised by this one placing so high. Because of this situation, the trust of students, if it hasn’t already been lost, will surely be affected. Now, in the midst of the MeToo movement, voices once silenced are coming forth with no going back. The culture on campus is a juxtaposition of darker secrets hidden behind the ever-constant reminders of consent and sexual harassment.
We don’t know what is truly happening, whether you’re on campus or on a field trip 6,000 miles away from it. When these things happen, it only furthers the fear, especially for female students. But it’s not all black and white: student editor Adam Marsh presents so many varying views in this article, it’s easy to realize that this is never a simple issue with simple solutions. Many of the students point out the potential for rehabilitation for Nursing instructor Stephen Bishop, who is at the centre of the allegations discussed in the story; others discuss their own personal horror at what occurred.
So, yes, of course it isn’t a black-and-white issue, it’s just a varying gradient of deeply dark greys. I myself feel powerless in this case. However, we need to bring issues like these to light, whether our opinions of it differ, and that’s the least we could do. And we will continue to do just that: Nexus currently has a Freedom of Information request in with the college to get more information about this situation, and we will continue to report on it.
This is a huge story, and it rightfully takes its seat high up here on our list. Post-secondary education is, to be professional, stupidly expensive, which leads us students to curse its very name on a daily basis. But money woes shouldn’t get in the way of enjoying education. Student debt is looming over everyone’s heads—and if it’s not already, it will be once you graduate. To eliminate the interest charge on provincial student loans is big, and the total is huge on a province-wide level. Meanwhile, Alberta is now hiking up loan charges, which, as far as I can tell, just furthers the already established elitism of education, and also makes BC look way nicer.
Additionally, former staff writer Kate Wood’s writing has an approachable voice that makes talking about education and finances a less overwhelming experience than it could be. It serves as a great article to introduce newbies to the financial side of post-secondary education. Taking these steps into understanding where our money goes, and why eliminating interest charges is so newsworthy, helps readers really grab hold of reality and the practical necessities of their financial relationship with education.
Kate Wood’s documentation of, to quote her own article, her “evening at the opera” gives another arts story its place on the top-10 list. This story is Wood’s review of a newer interpretation of La Traviata, which transports the story to a couple centuries later, in 1920s Paris.
Wood’s article, along with Weicker’s on The Master Builder, really identifies what a lot of 2019 has been about. Feminists have always done the work of pointing out our societal issues within institutions and the arts, so how can we now appreciate earlier works of art without compromising our philosophy? However, we see that we can, through the performances and our own interpretation, enlighten our minds, hold onto our ideals, and still enjoy the experiences.
The opera is an alien form of entertainment for us young folks now, and it doesn’t feel natural to go enjoy them. Thankfully, Wood advises us to educate ourselves before the show and just let the music take us away.
It’s a funny thing that the further we get away from older artforms, the more interested we are in them. Our readers are indeed interested in operas and plays, and maybe it’s because our writers’ younger minds can introduce us to a time that seems so removed from our ideas through a lens that we can relate to.
2. “Camosun College board of governors elects new chair” (July 10, 2019, written by Kate Wood)
Post-secondary politics seem to always be progressing, but I think it’s notable that progressive politics get more readership, and this shows it. This story reported on how the Camosun College board of governors had appointed Laylee Rohani as the new chair; appointing a first-generation Iranian-Canadian woman is enough for students to feel that our college is definitely less outdated, but, as the article points out, passing the torch is important in itself.
The funny thing is that when I look at certain boards or, let’s say, Liberal cabinets, I feel deeply conflicted. Of course, we need the voices of all people, but how can we make a statement without it sounding empty? When we look at our local administrations, especially regarding education, I think that’s where the small statements are the loudest. Rohani’s predecessor Ron Rice is a member of the Cowichan Tribes; this shows that Canada is more than white Christian colonizers.
And it would appear that Laylee can really get to work. It’s been months since this article came out, and we’re already covering the plans she mentioned for the college, and the Alex & Jo Campbell Centre for Health and Wellness has officially opened. We’re happy to be covering stories like this, and happy that students are paying attention.
It’s no surprise that this is the number-one most-read article of 2019 on our site. To be honest, I feel a little cheated, but that’s mostly because I don’t even remember being that bothered by the snow. Then again, my Albertan bones keep me warm in BC’s “frigid” winters.
This was a hot story, though. The backlash from students upset that Camosun stayed open in the snow came fast and furious. The problem here was that some students literally couldn’t make it to campus, and it was during midterms. Camosun student Gwendolyn O’Connor—who now writes for Nexus—was quoted in the story as saying online, “What about students who have disabilities, eh? Thanks Camosun.” Student Taylor Westendale said “This is such a joke… I’m not going to risk my safety to make it to campus.”
Still, college Facilities staff were up as early as 4 am determing what call to make, and the call was made to open the school, leading to the biggest school/student clash of the year, and our biggest story of the year, one we were working around the clock to update to keep students informed as to what was happening.
Knowing that our work has reached the eyes of our readers—Camosun student and staff, community members, even people all around the world—makes the experience of writing this so much more surreal. Here at the Nexus office, we tend to bring up in our meetings how completely mind-boggling it is to know that there are people out there halfway across the world reading what we wrote.
We gravitate to certain topics, and some of these topics just can’t be easily explained, but it really feels like I’m talking with the people reading this. It’s such a gratifying feeling to see what stories are connecting most with people.
There will be plenty of stories to tell, read, and share in the next year, and I have a load of features coming up that I truly hope all of you will enjoy (maybe you’ll enjoy them enough to get me on this list next year… but that’s not really the point). We’ll see you in 2020, and we’ll have a lot to say then, too. We look forward to seeing what stories resonate most with you this time next year.