It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are—the last five months, if nothing else, certainly have been novel. But now it’s almost September. It doesn’t feel like we’ve been doing this social dance—quickly moving over on the sidewalk or in the grocery store aisle so someone can get by without feeling vaguely violated—for almost half a year. Some days it feels far longer, and others it feels like March madness was last week; either way, it doesn’t feel like five months ago. We’re officially approaching being in this for the long haul, and that means at Camosun the ramifications are feeling more real every day.
The courtyards are quiet, I imagine (who knows?), and custodians are busy racing around sanitizing doorknobs for no one. This year, September means quiet, and in a sense it’s a relief after years of stress (good stress, but still stress) associated with the September rush.
This September is rushless.
If you’re a student who has been cleared to come to campus for class but you’re not quite sure what’s going on, check the Nexus site soon for a story giving the lowdown on what’s open, what’s not, and how best to enter and exit campus and buildings. And if, like most of us, you’re living from home, be sure to check our site daily, as we bring you to Camosun even if you can’t be on campus.
I used to direct stage plays. Any theatre person—or any person, for that matter—knows what the phrase “the show must go on” really means. And that phrase comes to mind when I think of the uncertainty that has faced the college community, and us here at the paper, this year. Like everyone else, our livelihoods have been brought into question as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. And we’re constantly adapting and changing how we get you the news, one reality holds true: where there are students, there is Nexus.
We’ve been around, and been written by Camosun students, for over 30 years, and we’re still here, even in a changed world. Students used to come into our office for the lowdown when they were interested in writing for us; while we can’t have people come in right now, for obvious reasons, we can still easily train and chat with writers, and there’s still no experience necessary.
Whether you want to explore the frontlines as a news writer or you want to chat up those bands you’ve idolized since you were a kid, we can make it happen. There’s never any obligation after deadline to pick up another story, so you can come and go as you please. It’s been five years since managing editor Greg Pratt introduced me to this wild, alluring, humorous, and incredibly unique way of life; I’ve never looked back.