Letter from the editor: from newspaper to newsletter

Throughout 2020, The Northerner had to adjust to various circumstances and scenarios. No longer having the ability to interview sources, collaborate or interact in person, our team has shifted to virtual operations. We decided that a weekly print publication was no longer feasible for many reasons. However, we still wanted to give the campus community a tangible item to read. We decided to create a semi-monthly magazine that allowed our staff to have the time to fully create and flesh out ideas. Having a magazine has allowed us to create longer stories, stronger visuals and bigger print editions.

In our first magazine edition, we wanted to cover how COVID-19 has impacted the campus community. Arts & Life Editor Alyssa Weber spoke with School of the Arts faculty members about how they’re preparing students to find success in an industry shaken by the pandemic.

“SOTA department heads and professors shared the changes they made within their respective programs to comply with the university’s social distancing guidelines, how the pandemic has affected the arts community nationwide and how they’re helping students cope with the changes,” Weber wrote.

News Editor Rachel Smith spoke with NKU officials about why it was safe to return to campus and how NKU is tracking COVID-19 cases. 

“Several universities have opened for the Fall 2020 semester, leading many to express health concerns related to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. While even the near future is shadowed in uncertainty, members of Northern Kentucky University attempt to shed light on campus safety during a global pandemic,” Smith wrote.

For the main feature, I spoke with two NKU students and an alum about their experience with having COVID-19. These experiences range from having no symptoms at all, to spending hours in the emergency room gasping for air. 

“Around four days after Kaeppner’s fiancee, Isabel Sleczkowski, started experiencing COVID-19-like symptoms, Kaeppner started experiencing them, too.

Her mom had coronavirus over the summer, so Kaeppner was spending a lot of her time bringing her mom groceries and helping out with other tasks. Her mom had been sick with COVID-19 for months, so Kaeppner knew first-hand how bad the symptoms could get,” I wrote. 

Design/Photo Editor Billy Keeney created a photo gallery that shows how campus looks during a pandemic. 

In addition to a semi-monthly magazine this semester, The Northerner has also created a weekly newsletter to inform the campus community about relevant news, changes and events. The newsletter includes contributions from students all across campus, ranging from poetry to artwork. We send out a newsletter every Monday. To subscribe, click here.

We hope you enjoy this first edition of The Northerner magazine. It’s not something we usually do, but we enjoyed testing the waters and creating something brand new. These uncertain times have shown us that nothing is ever guaranteed and life is precious, so it’s important to do things you love. At The Northerner, we love creating stories. We love being the watchdog voice of students, staff and faculty. We love being a safe place for students to learn, fail and grow. 

I hope you love this issue, and I hope you love and cherish the people in your life. Enjoy the little things. Accomplish the big things. Treat people with kindness, and wear a mask.