Dear Readers, 

Thank you for joining us back at The Comenian for our final refresh of the 2020-2021 school year! It’s been a few weeks since I’ve written our editor’s letter, but I’m glad to be back. A huge thank you to Nick Wan and Dominic Trabosci for filling in—you both did a fantastic job. 

We’ve finally made it to the end of the spring semester here at Moravian College.

After two stressful semesters, we’ve all made it to the other side. Students and faculty alike have had their own struggles as well as ones that we’ve shared. I think we can all agree that this year introduced us to a new level of burnout. With the combination of virtual learning and missing out on our valued spring break, it was inevitable that we all were more stressed than usual.

Still, I hope that you all were able to find time for yourselves despite the circumstances. 

Before we get into what’s new in this week’s refresh, I want to take a moment and introduce our new editorial staff for next school year. 

We have Dominic Trabosci as our new social media manager, Anna Litofsky as our copy editor, Kaitlin Furst as our managing editor, and last but not least Nicholas Wan as our new editor-in-chief! Congratulations to you all, and I’m excited to see what you all will accomplish and do for The Comenian next year! 

This week in The Comenian, we have a wonderful line up of stories for you all to enjoy: 

Members of ASU have come together to share their impactful response to the rise in anti-Asian attacks in America. Their response exemplifies the prominence of racism and discrimination against Asian-Americans and the ignorance of which the issue is subject to in American society. 

Guest reporter Tyleen Lopez wrote a wonderful piece spotlighting Moravian’s More Than A Hound organization that teaches members of the Moravian community to emphasize inclusivity  and how to increase diversity on campus regardless of ability or identity.

Our second guest reporter of the week, Amanda Andrews, shares her perspective as a full-time student worker throughout all four years of her college education.

Our newest reporter Anthony Spengler covers our annual tree planting on April 23rd in honor of Earth Day. This year, Moravian College planted a paper birch tree outside of Reeves Library which has since been added to our campus tree inventory. Make sure to check out Anthony’s slideshow to get a better look at the ceremony.

To commemorate the hard work of one of Moravian’s innovative music majors Julian Calv, I wrote about Calv’s independent study on the life and music of American composer and musician Moondog.

Anna Litofsky wrote about guest speaker Andrea Gibson’s spoken word poetry event showcasing their newest collection of poems “Lord of the Butterflies.” And as always, Anna has also come out with the latest edition of her beautifully written and illustrated comic series Behind the Mask.

Gabriel Chlebove reflects on his independent study in chemistry and his experience conducting lab research at Moravian College.

After several semesters of online learning, Annie McCarthy reported on student and faculty preferences regarding virtual learning compared to in-person classes.

Finally, we have several senior reflections by The Comenian’s graduating seniors Victoria Ritter, Julianna Fedorich, and Samantha Riley. The Comenian staff appreciate your time spent with us and wish you all the best as you take your next steps to future success.

Thank you to our talented writers for all of the hard work you put in throughout the past year. You are all phenomenal writers and I wish you all the best as you continue to make your way through your undergrad education. 

Once again, a big thank you to all of our readers! I hope you all continue to stop by our website to check out the fantastic work of our team. Your continuous support keeps us going, so thank you for your comments and appreciation for the work that we do.

As for myself, while I’m sad to be leaving, I’m honored to have served as The Comenian’s editor-in-chief this past semester. Nicholas is a hard worker, and the best up and coming editor-in-chief that I could have asked for.

Best of luck, Nick, and the rest of The Comenian team. I can’t wait to see what you make of our student newspaper in semesters to come! 

Best, 

Samantha Riley

Editor-In-Chief