It feels like yesterday when our current editorial board took over for the summer and 2020-21 school year. The COVID-19 pandemic had been a normal part of our lives since March; the murder of George Floyd had not yet taken place; the general election still seemed like it was far away.
Everything has changed drastically since: We wrote about the life of a young English Department lecturer who passed away; we spoke to students about their Bobcat Cares relief funds; we covered nearly every protest in San Marcos against racism; we have worked to address our own practices, policies and procedures internally that we deemed problematic; we have worked to keep the community updated on Texas State’s Roadmap to Return, highlighting the perspectives of the administration, faculty and students.
We canceled our summer print editions. We wrote about Jaylen Shead’s racial allegations against basketball Head Coach Danny Kaspar. We covered a primary run-off election, making mistakes along the way that will prepare us for November. Our staff went from nearly 40 members to now over 100. We just wrapped up our first-ever virtual “Camp Star” orientation in which amazing journalists across the nation came to speak to our staff. This summer has been a whirlwind — to say the very least.
I say all of this to say: We have been battle-tested. Now with the start of an unprecedented fall semester, we realize and accept the responsibility our community has placed on us to be an accurate and timely resource for information on any developments throughout San Marcos and Texas State.
Sadly, we made the decision to not print a physical paper this fall. Our Trinity newsroom will be limited to our editors only, with safety protocols in place. However, you can still expect to see daily content on our website and social media platforms. We will be providing around the clock Back to School coverage. You can expect to receive our refurbished newsletter — The Star Roundup — in your email inbox every Tuesday and Thursday, with the latest stories about the latest developments in the community.
Just as other student publications across the nation have done, you can expect us to closely monitor the COVID-19 situation on campus and provide bold, accurate, consistent and timely coverage on whatever is taking place, for better or worse. You can expect us to provide coverage on arguably the biggest election of our lifetimes, specifically through the lens of San Marcos and Hays County. You can expect our coverage to accurately reflect the unique and diverse voices at Texas State. We will work to interact with you all through social media, emails and virtual events, such as our annual Star Stories.
This year, we were chosen as one of 10 student newsrooms to participate in Poynter’s College Media Project. With the help of Poynter, we will be working on a year-long project that appropriately reflects our campus community. We will provide more concrete information as we get going over the next several weeks.
The start of this school year is nothing like we have seen before. As I type this letter, I feel the pressure on The Star to be the best news source in Hays County, San Marcos and most certainly at Texas State. As only the second Black editor-in-chief in our history, I also feel pressure to right some of the wrongs that have been established in our organization since 1911 and at this institution since its founding in 1899.
With that said, I know we won’t be able to change the world in one semester or year. But I can promise you, as editor-in-chief for the 2020-21 school year, I will do my absolute best to push our organization in the right direction. We have a staff full of wonderful, talented and thoughtful individuals who are here for the right reasons. It is my hope that we will be your go-to news source and platform when it comes to anything you want and need to know in this community. We are here for you.
If there is anything you ever see, hear or experience that you think we should know about, please do not hesitate to reach out. ([email protected].) If you have something you want to say in regards to the community or our work, please consider writing Letters to the Editor. We are not perfect, nor have we ever claimed to be. Please continue to hold us accountable.
I know there is a lot of uncertainty about what is going to take place as we return to campus amid a deadly, global pandemic. I would be lying to you if I told you I knew. But I wanted to personally let you know that The Star will work to be present through it all.
Take care and stay safe, Bobcats. Our team looks forward to serving you this year.