Welcome to the University of Victoria, and Volume 68 of the Martlet. Have you settled in yet? How are your classes? Still scrambling for textbooks? Speaking of textbooks, here’s a word of advice for any English lit students: try Russell Books on Fort St. It’s a lot easier to stomach paying $5 for a used copy of Ivanhoe than $40 for a Broadview Press edition, and I don’t think your professor will notice. Science students, I don’t know what to tell you. You did read the news on page three, right? Talk about a raw deal.
. . . Forgive me, I got a bit distracted. The back to school buzz gets to me. How can it not? I’m as excited as you are for the coming year. While you all start your new path into academia, we’ll be starting a new-ish path at the Martlet.
What does that look like? Well, for starters, we’re going to a bi-weekly print schedule (every two weeks). That means you’ll find our next issue on Sept. 24. I know, I know — I’ll miss those weekly papers too. But don’t fret, returning readers! You can find all the breaking news, opinions, and campus life stories you expect from us online at martlet.ca.
And not only that, but with more time between issues, we’ll be able to flesh out stories in an unprecedented way, dedicating more time to deep, well-informed journalism.
In short, we’re pretty excited about what’s in store for us this year. And you, too, should be excited about what’s in store for you. But hey, if you’re feeling apprehensive or unsure, that’s cool. I know a thing or two about doubting the path I chose. Gather ‘round, kiddies; let me spin you a yarn.
In 2011, I transferred to UVic from Mount Royal University in Calgary with aspirations of completing an English degree. Much like many new students, I was keen and ready for a fresh start, despite already completing two years of my degree. I was determined.
Fast-forward a couple of months to me sitting in ENGL 202, staring at the front of the room wondering to myself, “What the hell am I doing here?” The poetry on the projector made my eyes glaze over. Nothing made sense. I wasn’t engaged. I needed to find an alternative.
So I went on a mission to find something different, something that made sense to me. I ended up in the office of Sean Holman, former head of the professional writing department in the Faculty of Fine Arts. It was there that Holman espoused the importance of journalism, professional writing, and running his classes like miniature newsrooms. As he gestured to a bulletin board covered in news written by his students, one thought ran through my head: “This isn’t for me either.” Anticlimactic, I know.
After some reflection, I put my head down and stuck to English. It worked out beautifully. Things clicked, I saw how everything connected, and I capped my degree with a film studies minor. I ultimately graduated in 2014 without a clue of what I was going to do with my life, but I was stoked about my accomplishments.
A little over a year later, and I’m running the Martlet newsroom. Funny how things work out, eh? But if there’s a point to my rambling, it’s that: Don’t fret about where you are now. You’ll find where you need to be; it just might take a few detours to get there.
We’ve got a lot ahead of us this year, class of 2019. Let’s make it count.
