Editor’s note: Thank you for a good year

Today is the last day of March, marking the last time that my team and I will publish our volume of The Cord. 

If this were a normal year, the rest of the Cordies and I would be sitting in our basement office at 205 Regina St. right about now to put together our last issue of the year. We’d be using barely functioning computers, eating pizza, drinking champagne (it’s a tradition, okay?) and, most importantly, working together and having fun.  

The funny thing is that while we worked on putting out content every week for our readers, we never produced an actual, physical paper together; we have the COVID-19 pandemic to thank for that.   

Although I knew our final production would be coming up soon, it doesn’t make it any easier to sit with.  

This year, we never got to see our paper on stands. We never even got to see each other—not in-person, at least. It’s a weird feeling to be wrapping up our year without any sort of official closure—our final departure from the office.  

Doing it all from our bedrooms at home is a disconcerting experience, yet with every passing week, it becomes more and more normal.  

I suppose that’s our current reality, but it doesn’t make it any easier. It’s hard to say goodbye when we barely ever got to say hello to one another—Zoom video calls can only do so much.  

I don’t mean to make this too mushy and sad. In fact, I’m very proud of us!  

Despite the difficulties that this year brought, my staff and I can proudly say that we produced content every single week for our publication, all while in the midst of a global pandemic—something that none of the previous Cord teams would have been able to say.  

That in itself is a feat. Combine that with the pressure of online classes, and I’m truly impressed with the level of dedication that my team has been able to put in. 

Thank you to each and every member of my team for putting your all into this publication. The Cord truly could not have done it without each of you playing a part.  

I am extremely grateful for all the hard work that you all have put into our paper this year.  

My gratitude doesn’t stop there, though. It’s equally as important to recognize and appreciate the contributions from our volunteers. 

As a student-run media organization, we truly could not function without the hard work that our volunteers put in to contributing each week. The volunteers are the heartbeat of our publication. 

So, if you’ve contributed even once to our paper this year—even if it was just a single photo or a 150-word written blurb—just know that we couldn’t have done it without you.  

And finally, thank you to our readers, because by supporting student media, you give us a reason to keep producing this publication that means so much to us. 

Although my tenure as Editor-in-Chief is coming to an end, I can’t wait to see where our incoming team takes The Cord next year. There are endless opportunities for our publication, and with the potential for the world to open back up in the coming months, I know students will be eager to get back to campus and get involved. 2021-22 will be a stellar year for us.  

For the past three years, I’ve thought about The Cord every single day. Honestly, that probably won’t stop any time soon, but I credit The Cord with providing me with the best years of my university career and skills that I’ll be able to carry with me in my future.  

So, in case I didn’t say it enough, thank you: to anyone who has ever clicked on one of our articles or contributed to our paper this year, and to my staff, who showed unwavering devotion to our publication. I take pride in knowing what we’ve accomplished.  

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