Our View | We’re back
April 14, 2021
Well, we’re back. Yes, we look a little different now, but after a year cloistered indoors without a printing press in sight, what did you expect? Even The Crimson White, your devoted student newspaper of more than 125 years, couldn’t get through a pandemic year untouched.
We’re talking about that in this special edition, which reflects on the past year to see what’s changed and how campus is feeling. We also look back at 2011, when tornadoes swept through the Southeast and devastated our community. These disasters, both of which caused immense loss, terror and confusion among students, shrouded their respective school years in dark mourning clothes.
In this issue, we want to recognize people we’ve lost to COVID-19, like superfan and beloved friend Cameron Luke Ratliff, and the six students we lost in 2011: Brandon Atterton, Danielle Downs, Ashley Harrison, Melanie Mixon, Morgan Sigler and Marcus Smith. We recognize them by thinking about how we can move forward safely, with their memories in our hearts. We move on with the hopes that soon we can be together again, mouths unmasked and arms ready to embrace.
And at The Crimson White, we move forward by printing a newspaper and giving it to you, our readership and our neighbors, to keep you informed and prepare you for what lies ahead. We’re feeling good, by the way, about our future. We’re excited about A-Day and about returning to a crowded Bryant-Denny Stadium. We’re optimistic about a time when all students take weather safety seriously. We anticipate bringing you many more printed special editions in the future, though they won’t come twice per week.
Instead, look for us about once a month on your friendly campus newsstands next year, when our news editor, Keely Brewer, will take over as editor-in-chief.
This has been a long, blue-lit, Zoom-filled year. Even in the most joyful, normalesque moments, life was difficult and required adjustments. For the three of us who are leaving the University this year, it’s hard to say goodbye like this. It won’t be like the movies. It will be, as far as we can guess, as quiet and strange and isolating as these two semesters have been.
We are glad that we can say goodbye to you the way we hoped to all year long: in print. Which, for us, is as close to being in the flesh as we will ever get. We are honored to have been the five faces of your newspaper’s editorial board. Thank you for reading these columns, these stories, these captions and newsletters and tweets. We’ll miss you. But we know we’re leaving you in good hands.
Faithfully, loyally, firmly and truly,
The Editorial Board
The 2020-2021 Crimson White Editorial Board is composed of Editor-in-Chief Rebecca Griesbach, Managing Editor Leah Goggins, Engagement Editor Adaya Jackson, Chief Copy Editor Bhavana Ravala and Opinions Editor Mikayla Wyatt.
