This Editorial was originally published in the first print edition of the 2023-24 Academic Year.
Welcome to our first print edition of Autumn 2023! My name’s Joe, and I’ll be the paper’s Editor for the next few months. I’ve been around for nearly two years, mostly as a News writer and News Editor — it’s been the best part of my university experience getting to write here.
From the aftermath of Covid, to the cost of living crisis, to the war in Europe, it’s a tough time to be a student — prices are rising and the future seems bleak. But, there is hope. As my deputies Rachel and Callum write elsewhere on this cover page, there are plenty of reasons to be hopeful, and see meaning in the world around us — even when things are hard.
We can’t ignore the reality of our present world — some of our content over the coming months will confront the problems we as students, a university community, and a society face. But everything else will hopefully bring plenty of levity to your lives, as all our sections try to touch on the ups, downs and curiosities of the weird thing that is student life.
In our first print, you’ll find reporting about the exploitative labour conditions we face as students, an exploration of Barbenheimer, and advice for living in Edinburgh while you’re in transition — both as somebody coming back from a year abroad and as somebody missing home. You’ll also find an obituary to Teviot — which we of the Editor-in-Chief team will sadly never see the inside of again before we leave Edinburgh — and an analysis of how Dark Academia can’t work at the university without reforming itself.
We’re hoping you’ll stick with us as autumn turns to winter — we’ll be doing our best to bring you a wide range of informative, entertaining and comforting content to keep you informed about our university community. If you’d like to get involved, we’d absolutely love to hear from you — we’re always keen to bring new people into our community.
Image via Nick Malizia