Normalcy.

This summer, we all got some sense of it back. Masks weren’t mandated, the CDC announced that vaccinated people were safe to not wear masks, and the positive test rate here in Sedgwick County was the lowest it’s been in months. 

But the new Delta variant made normalcy seem far away once again. So now, we’re going into this semester in a pandemic that is still weighing on our day to day lives and minds.

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lindsay Smith and I am this year’s Editor in Chief of The Sunflower. I am a junior studying journalism, and I am here to serve the student body by leading The Sunflower to produce accurate, timely, and important information you need to know. 

At The Sunflower, we understand your struggles. We are all students so we understand the confusion you are walking into this semester with. We all have similar questions, struggles, and annoyances. 

But we’re trying to make it a little easier on you. Let me tell you about our mission as the campus student newspaper. 

At The Sunflower, we don’t censor news and information. If there’s something you need to know, you can trust us that we’ll make sure you are informed with all the proper facts and information. 

We perform our due diligence. We make sure to go to every source before we publish a story. We make sure we have all sides of the story before we make something public. That way, you can trust that we have investigated enough to know that our content is accurate. 

We’re students, so we are still learning about journalism. Mistakes sometimes happen, and when they do, we will fix them timely and publicly so you know the corrections. 

We are here to elevate student voices. If you have an opinion, feel free to send me a letter to the editor at [email protected]. Letters to the editor are a way for you to get your voice in the paper. We are always happy to get those in my inbox. 

Overall: We are here for you. We are here to answer your questions, look into problems, and like I said before, make this semester a little bit easier for you. 

Take care of yourself. Your mental health is the most important. I would encourage you to try WSU’s Counseling and Prevention Services. They offer $10 counseling sessions for students and are conveniently located on campus. 

If you can, get vaccinated. Student Health Services offers COVID-19 vaccines for students on campus. It’s convenient, free and a safe and effective way to fight the spread of COVID-19.

Let’s get back to normalcy together.