May 14, 2021 | NEWS | By Josh Kalenga and Izzie Hicks | Illustration by Bibi Powers
Dear reader,
On the walls of the Publication House on Weber Street, a framed Catalyst article reads, “Math Professors Voice Opposition to Block Plan.” Suffice to say, plenty has changed since the article was published 46 years ago.
For us, it is a reminder that newspapers are not just snapshots of the present, but vehicles into the past, transporting readers to the unfamiliar yet fascinating worlds of distant epochs.
It’s strange to imagine a future Colorado College student perusing through The Catalyst archives to find out what life at the college was like during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prior to March 2020, only two articles in our News section had ever mentioned COVID-19. In the edition published on April 2, 2020, four of five News articles were about the pandemic.
“In just a matter of months, the coronavirus has changed billions of lives,” read the beginning of one piece.
By June 2020, journalists at The Catalyst had created an entirely new branch of the paper dedicated to news about the pandemic — the CC COVID-19 Reporting Project.
Newspapers are written by the world around them. As journalists, we so often hold sacred the value of objectivity. Yet, it is undeniable that we too are affected by the issues we write about.
As The Catalyst and the CC COVID-19 Reporting Project increased their coverage of the pandemic exponentially, the student journalists behind this work were among others sent home by the college in an effort to reduce the spread of the virus.
The Catalyst transitioned to a fully-online format in Block 7 of 2020 and a whooping 29 editions have been published since. Many of our staff members have worked from home throughout this period while those on campus have been limited to interacting over email and Zoom.
We too worry about the safety of our parents and grandparents. We too miss our ‘normal’ CC lives: The hustle and bustle of campus on First Monday, ‘studying’ on the third floor of the library on final Tuesday, reading The Catalyst on an early Friday morning with a coffee from Benji’s, the sweet smell of Sunday brunch in Rastall.
As we return to print, we hope that holding The Catalyst in your hands will help bring back some semblance of normalcy. However, we acknowledge that COVID-19 has altered the lives of many in ways that will outlive the pandemic itself.
We send our heartfelt support to those who have struggled with mental health, lost loved ones or livelihoods, or suffered any life-altering difficulties due to the virus.
We appeal to all students to stay vigilant as a way of caring for vulnerable populations in our communities. Please get vaccinated! The college plans to continue to host on-campus vaccination clinics for those that need them in addition to the most recent clinic held on May 8.
Despite the multitude of unprecedented challenges, we are proud of the phenomenal work produced by our writers, photographers, and illustrators during our 29-edition-long disappearance from print. Thank you for keeping present and future generations informed.
We are grateful for the support of our fellow editors — past and present — who make us look so much better at our jobs.
We would also like to thank the leaders of Cutler Publications for their unwavering support and belief in us. Not all heroes wear capes — we’re grateful for the invaluable work that our supervisor, Karen West, does behind the scenes.
We owe the most gratitude to you, the reader, without whom The Catalyst would have no purpose. Thank you for supporting student journalists. We hope you enjoy this special edition!
Happy summer,
Josh Kalenga ’23 and Izzie Hicks ’22
Co-Editors-in-Chief