Dear Washington University community,

Today, I am taking over as the Student Life editor-in-chief. I joined the paper as a sports writer during the first week of my freshman fall, and I never imagined that I would someday write a letter like this one. But two and a half years later, here I am. I cannot wait to get started.

Throughout this incredibly trying past year, Student Life has served to inform and connect the University community. From our reporting regarding COVID to in-depth explorations of key issues on campus and features on the people who make up our community, we have told stories of trial and triumph, of the many failures, challenges and occasional successes that have defined life since Spring Break last year. 

I plan to build on that foundation in the coming year. Student Life exists for you—the people of Washington University, so my staff and I will strive to further campus conversations by holding those in power accountable, bringing new information to light and providing consistent, fair and accurate reporting. A free and independent press is a crucial part of a campus community at all times, but our responsibility as a news organization is heightened during periods of such rapid change, debate and uncertainty like the one we have experienced over the last year. We will remain dedicated to fulfilling that responsibility and will work to do the best job we possibly can.

Often in my time on the Student Life Editorial Board, we have called on the administration to be more transparent, to give us their reasoning for decisions and to provide more adequate information about why they do what they do. As editor-in-chief, I plan to hold this newspaper to the same standard. Whether it is explaining the difference between a staff opinion piece and an op-ed or providing clarity on our anonymity policy, we will be as transparent as possible whenever possible. Since transparency is an important part of building trust between this paper and the community we serve, it will be a key tenet of my time leading this paper.

Just as we seek to hold the University and others in power accountable, it is necessary for us to engage in self-reflection and self-evaluation, and to recognize where we’ve fallen short. As the campus newspaper, we are in a position of power on campus, and we must be conscious of how we wield that power. Last June, our editor-in-chief detailed three main efforts for the paper in the realm of diversity, equity and inclusion: more intentional recruitment efforts to ensure that this paper’s staff better reflects the University community; a close relationship with institutions like the Center for Diversity and Inclusion to strengthen our reporting and staff culture; and the dedication of more reporting resources to explorations of the University’s institutional inequities. Far too often in the past ten months, however, we have lost focus on those efforts. As the momentum of the summer’s discussions wore off and we adjusted to learning in a prolonged pandemic, we did not accomplish what we had set out to do last June. 

I am committed to making sure that does not happen again. Under my leadership, Student Life will actively engage the topics we laid out last summer. We will not shy away from hard questions. To do anything else would be to allow our privilege as the campus newspaper to wither away. 

We will tell the stories of the Washington University community that need to be told, we will think carefully about how we can serve this community’s people and we will take challenges head on. We will do our duty as an independent news organization.

If you hear about something you think we should be writing about, email [email protected]. If you want to make your voice heard through an opinion piece, email [email protected]. And if you’re interested in joining the paper, we would love to have you. To get involved, you can email [email protected]. 

I am incredibly excited to see what this paper does over the next year. This is a new chapter in this community’s history, and I am honored to be part of the team writing it. 

If you have comments, thoughts or suggestions for me, my inbox is open! You can reach me by emailing [email protected]. I look forward to hearing from you.

Best,

Matthew Friedman

Student Life 2021-2022 Editor-in-Chief