As the school year draws to a close, I am left reflecting on our latest year in production — one that solidified the Press’ values as a rare worker co-operative as we saw an influx of brand-new staff members; encouraged more creativity in writing than ever before; and on a personal level, shaped me as a person more than any other professional experience I’ve had.
This year saw an overhaul in the Press’ workforce, with the team bidding adieu to several long time friends and welcoming brand-new ones. At the outset of our 61st production year, I made it my primary mission to prove that our worker-centred co-operative structure was meant to outlast the cohort of Members that enacted it and could continue to help new Press Members thrive, even as the company welcomed its next generation of staff.
While our operations have not been without difficulty — something I’ve realized is inevitable after my three previous years at the company — what stood out to me was our staff’s resilience throughout our moments of struggle, and our shared desire to protect our values and what we know is right.
To every staff member at the Press, whether you are a battle-worn returning Member like me, or this was your first year experiencing everything the company has to offer: thank you from the bottom of my heart.
This year saw more than a solidified governance structure, however. We also discovered new ways to reach our audience and let our dynamic team find creative ways to express themselves.
We saw a major increase in opinion articles this year, showing our editors’ interest in talking from the heart rather than staying confined to any single section. Similarly, we saw a major boost in volunteer articles toward the end of the year, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to provide a platform that amplifies the voices of Brock students even beyond our Member base.
I’m especially fond of third-year Press Member Hannah Barton’s personal column for reflection and life advice, Campus Compass, which was added to our Opinion section near the start of the year. This is the first column of this kind in the Press’ history, and I’m happy we could provide Hannah with a place to share her musings. Though she won’t be returning to the Press next year, I hope to continue reading her thoughts through new Campus Compass articles in the years to come.
Another new endeavour this year was the re-introduction of a dedicated podcast at the Press, which we lovingly named Walk, Talk and Brock. The podcast wouldn’t have been possible without the showrunning of first-year Digital Media Coordinator Andrea Araga, who, much like me, had no idea how to run a podcast when we kicked off the series back in September. It was another moment of experimentation and discovery that led to something very special.
We also saw the continuation of our print edition, headed by Digital Media Coordinator Mikayla Grimes. I’m thankful to her for continuing to help us reach readers in new ways beyond the screen. There’s something so exciting in watching our print stands across campus deplete so quickly after restocking them — thank you to all our physical readers for your support.
Our Advertising Coordinator Maeve Ferrigan returned for her third year at the company, and by platforming student businesses and initiatives, she continued making sure the Press could be a place for Brock students to excel even for those outside the company. While the Press will say goodbye to Maeve in a couple weeks’ time, the mark she’s left on the company’s connection to the student body is unforgettable.
Each of our writers brought something unique to the publication. At our weekly online meeting, I watched as our editors grew into their own unique interests — from Adhi Murday’s interest in transportation and Alyssa D’Souza’s continued focus on equity in sports, to Emma Martin’s love of music and Jonah Struyk’s burning hatred of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
It will always be amazing how much our writing topics of choice reveal about us as people. I’m glad that I could play a role in providing a space for our editors to express themselves freely and hopefully discover a little bit more about themselves.
Before I conclude, I’d like to reminisce on some of my personal favourite articles published by Press team members this year.
First-year news editor Anjelina Pathak wrote what was easily my favourite editorial of the year, outlining her fascinating and well-articulated perspective on how the phrase “performative male” harkens back to another infamous insult. Writing an editorial is no easy task, yet Anjelina’s very first attempt ended with an editorial that I’d proudly use as an example in a writing seminar.
I don’t usually laugh while editing, but several of Owen Theriault’s articles sarcastically ripping into Brock infrastructure proved exceptions. His write-up on Brock’s disgusting water fountains was so funny that we gave him a taste test in my favourite episode of our podcast.
Hannah Barton’s Campus Compass series was at its most vulnerable, in my opinion, when she outlined how she’s lost her love for writing. Any other publication might have been concerned with an editor suggesting this as a story pitch, but her column allowed her to turn her discomfort into something beautiful.
A more recent initiative saw the return of “The Brock Crass,” our satirical April Fool’s edition, for the third year in a row. I admit that I’m slightly biased, but this was still the funniest round of Crass articles I’ve ever seen, with highlights being Emma Martin’s interview with local raccoon Scab on the economy, and Anjelina Pathak’s pun-filled investigation into the dogosphere.
I suppose it’s only fair that I point out some of my own work from this year, which I think can easily be defined by my two-part investigation into the autumn BUSU controversy. While I actually started my Brock Press career as a news editor, I’d never written about something so in-depth, nor anything that required me to seek so many perspectives. Covering this story was scary, but it was also fun and incredibly fulfilling.
I’d like to conclude this retrospective by highlighting two current Press employees that have had a particularly strong impact on me.
First, I’d like to thank Harsha Manjunatha, who had some big shoes to fill as she stepped into the role of Business Manager. This is a huge position within the Press that is often unseen by the public. Every time our staff get paid, a spreadsheet is updated, a budget is looked into, an accounting email is sent, an article is uploaded to the website and a post is made to social media, you have Harsha to thank. She made the business side of the Press incredibly easy to navigate, and she’s done a great job keeping the company’s operations going despite it being her first year at the Press. Harsha, thank you for being someone I could rely on even during stressful moments in our company’s business.
Second, I’d like to personally thank our Managing Editor Mikayla Keniry for her outstanding work as my right-hand woman on the editorial side of the company. Mikayla’s writing was as strong as always, and her editing abilities are impeccable. This was only Mikayla’s second year at the company, yet she has an incredibly deep understanding of the values of the Press as a worker co-operative, and I know that those are values she is dedicated to defending. Thank you, Mikayla, for your commitment to making the Press the best place it can be. I’m looking forward to seeing where those values take you.
As we head into the summer, I’m off to ensure the Press is set up for success in its 62nd production year. There are still emails to answer and fires to put out, but that will always be a part of the job. In the meantime, all I can do is thank my staff, our readers and the Brock community at large for continuing to support us.
So, thank you! And I hope you look forward to whatever comes next.