If 2020 taught me anything, it’s to not make plans. 

I hate to bring up more 2020 complaints, but we all know that it’s been a heck of a year. Especially for us student journalists. Specifically the ones who cover Wichita State. 

Let’s break this all down. 

In March, the COVID-19 pandemic swept the world causing colleges from across the nation to close their doors to any in-person activities. I remember that day vividly — freshman reporter Lindsay running around the Rhatigan Student Center trying to get as many student voices as she could. 

If I’m being completely honest with you, I thought that the pandemic and everyone sitting at home might lighten the load on any breaking news from the university for a while at least. But alas, it continued on. 

In June, I was back at it again covering breaking news when donors called to fire Jay Golden over the Ivanka Trump Fiasco. I spent a part of my day in front of Charles Koch Arena covering a student-held rally for Golden. After roughly only six months on the job, the calls to fire him disappointed many which led to unrest for many WSU students.  

But that wasn’t even the start of the breaking news for The Sunflower team. 

On Sept. 25, President Jay Golden resigned from his position without a word. Instead of hearing from him, his resignation was announced via a statement from the Kansas Board of Regents. Trying to cover a presidential resignation when you can’t talk to the president is definitely a challenge. 

And then the ball dropped again when it was announced that head Basketball Coach Gregg Marshall was under investigation by the university for misconduct allegations.

With all that being said, allow me to introduce myself. 

My name is Lindsay Smith and I am the editor in chief for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year. It’s a crazy year to be named editor, for sure. 

But among all the craziness, we’re still doing the work. 

We know you have a lot of questions. We know the pandemic is causing a lot of unneeded stress among students and you just want to know what’s  going on. 

Through it all, we’re working on telling the stories that matter. We’re working on getting your opinions, as the student body, so the administration can hear what you think.

We don’t want you to be left in the dark. You have a right to know what’s going on. 

At The Sunflower, we have the guts to ask the tough questions. We have the resources to inform the community about the important things. 

If you have any concerns or questions, feel free to reach out to me at [email protected]. I would love to hear any opinions or concerns you have about this semester as it progresses. 

We’re all in this together.