Dear Readers,

Welcome back for our final refresh of the spring semester!

The semester is almost over and soon we can officially release a collective sigh of relief.

I am greatly pleased and humbled to announce that we have won an award for Organization of the Year from Omicron Delta Kappa! Thank you to all of our staff and readers, without you this would not have been possible.

If you couldn’t tell, this last refresh is centered around AI and specifically ChatGPT. Many students and professors have raised concerns about AI-generated material so read our articles to find out what the fuss is about!

I’ll be honest, going into this year, I did not expect the Comenian to reach the heights that we have. Last year the entire executive board along with a good amount of writers graduated so we were left with only four writers and a dream. Our first refresh had only seven articles and now with our most recent physical edition, we had 28. 

We have doubled our content output this year with each refresh, consistently exceeding my expectations. Of course, there’s also the fact that we had two physical editions this year. This is the first time we had multiple print editions in a year since 2015. Based on feedback we’ve received from the wider campus community, this has been a great change that fostered much more campus engagement so thank you USG for approving our discretionary request. 😉

Our viewership has also received record numbers this past semester both on and off campus. Of course, there is the widespread viewership of the spring print edition, but our online edition got a huge reception as well. Along with that we’ve received a large amount of off-campus viewership with tens of thousands of viewers across the world.

Of course, this would not be possible without our absolutely incredible and world-class staff. This community that we have built over these last two semesters is what I am proud of the most. From the start, we faced an uphill battle, but thanks to our legacy members, like Logan, Fatimah, and Sabrina, and our new members, like Liz, Lola, and Joel, we have managed to not only meet the expectations set by prior years but far exceed them.

Last year, we were still suffering the effects of COVID and the paper struggled to create a unified community. But this year we have fostered a thriving community and dialogue within our ranks. We were able to do all we did this year because of this thriving community.

My fellow writers and editors, thank you for everything you have done this year. You should all be immensely proud of everything you have done this year and The Comenian wouldn’t be the same without you. 

Jack, your movie reviews bring a lot of liveliness to our entertainment section and your other pieces bring fun and interesting topics to the table. We’re sad to see you go but we are happy to have had you while we can and we are so happy that you decided to write for us.

Sabrina, you have brought an incredible new lens to the paper with both your “Meanwhile in Ireland” and “Sigmund and Beaumont” series. They give such a fresh and interesting perspective and variety to the paper. 

Fatimah, your music reviews are out of this world. Every time I see a new one on our spreadsheet, I know I’m in for a treat that will transport me into the metaphorical world of music despite not a single decibel leaving my computer. Your editorials and coverage of DEI events are also always fantastic. Your work and dedication towards our coverage of a variety of social and cultural issues have been invaluable and I always love seeing your perspective on these issues.

Joel, it’s been a pleasure seeing you come into your own with the paper. Last summer I constantly bugged you to join and since you started writing, you have proven invaluable. Your entertainment reviews are fantastic and strike a perfect balance between demonstrating extensive knowledge and being accessible to new viewers. Along with this, your extensive help and support both in and out of meetings have been invaluable.

Lola, you have been a fantastic new addition to The Comenian. Right from day one when you showed up to that meeting back in September, I could sense your dedication to the paper and since then it’s been amazing to see your growth as both a writer and reporter. Your coverage of a wide variety of campus issues has just been outstanding, especially with your coverage of the upcoming HUB renovations. Of course, the Commuter Corner series has been amazing. It provides a very needed voice to a body of students who oftentimes don’t get the light of day. 

Logan, your articles always bring so much spunk and personality to them. I always love reading your articles whether they be news pieces, editorials, or entertainment pieces. You always bring a piece of yourself into your writing and you wear it like a badge of honor. Along with that, your help on the social media end of things has been invaluable. When we first started out last semester I was barely managing to create posts to announce new refreshes. Now, your posts bring so much livelihood to our page and you infuse so much personality into it just like your articles. 

Liz, you have been completely irreplaceable to The Comenian. I can confidently say that without your help this year, we would not have had even a fraction of the success we have had. From the first day you and came to our meetings, I knew we had struck lightning in a bottle. All of your articles are just simply fantastic regardless of which category you write for. From news and community pieces to rants and reviews, you are great at writing for all different genres and making them all engaging. Along with that, your help on the physical editions was incredible and I thank you for putting up with me breathing down your throat over every little detail for each print edition. Beyond that, your constant work and support for the paper have been truly indispensable and I couldn’t think of anyone better to have as my right-hand woman. Thank you for everything you’ve done because we would not be the same publication without you. 

Professor Harris, I know you probably don’t want much attention so I’ll keep it brief: you have gone far above the call of duty for a club advisor. You are our anchor, and your guidance and wisdom are the reason we are at where we are now. You are an incredible mentor to all of us and your help and support have been essential. Thank you for everything you do for us and thank you for supporting me throughout the past two years.

And thank you, dear readers, your constant support across these last two semesters has given us the motivation we need to keep putting out new refreshes. We adore hearing feedback from our readers whether it be in the comments of our articles or in our everyday interactions with campus.

This has just been an absolutely amazing experience being the editor-in-chief and I am so thankful for all of our staff and supporters. The Comenian has become my biggest pride at Moravian and I am incredibly thankful to our previous editor, Nick Wan, and Professor Harris for placing their faith in me to be the head of this paper. 

I am ecstatic to show you all what we have in store for next semester but for now, have an amazing summer and I hope you all enjoy our final refresh of the semester!

That’s all from me folks. Thank you for reading and be sure to tune back in when we come back in the fall semester!

Your editor-in-chief,

AJ