Letter From the Editor: How will you love this year?

Olivia Silvey ’25

Editor-in-Chief

And we’re back, Bantams! Here we are again on campus, with me writing an editorial and you reading it – just like old times. For me, it feels both like I never left Hartford, and that summer lasted forever. Regardless, I am ready to be back, and I hope you are too.

As I was thinking about what sage wisdom to profess in my first editorial, I spent time reflecting on where I was a year ago; I encourage you all to do the same. Last September was a precarious moment for me: I was living alone for the first time in my college career, which scared me; I felt like I was starting over on campus socially, while also undertaking one of the biggest responsibilities I’ve ever had as Editor-in-Chief. I was excited, but timid and wanting to prove myself and the paper to the community.

As many of our loyal readers know, it ended up being a rollercoaster of a year on the Tripod. There were many highs, many lows and many fires put out by the best staff I’ve ever worked with. We produced impactful work, and not without many intense learning moments.

I am so grateful for my first year of leadership, but I am also grateful that this year feels different. I feel steadier, with sharper vision and trusty comrades by my side. Already this year, the Tripod has seen a huge wave of interest and engagement – dare I say the most we’ve had since preCovid times. It is incredibly exciting to see so many new faces and ideas (here’s where I will encourage you, reader, to get involved if there is any Tripod interest lurking in your head or heart). On Monday, Sept. 9 we hosted an incredibly successful mixer where we opened the office doors to non-members for the first time in many years. It was a great way to begin the semester.

Part of what I believe made last year so challenging is the work we did to strengthen the foundation of the Tripod. Not only were we writing and publishing weekly, but also re-forming connections with resources on campus, rebuilding our website, standardizing the submission process and creating a strong base of dependable editors. Now that we have sturdier bones, we can delve deeper into our role on campus: challenging ourselves and our community through our journalistic endeavors. The bar is high.

However, I think it’s naive to waltz into the year without acknowledging what a demanding year our entire Trinity community had, and how that impacts us moving into the 2024-2025 academic year. Last year we had protests, lawsuits, losses and tensions. It was an emotionally charged environment. Those of us that were here to witness and partake in these moments understand that the upcoming year might hold similar (or on the other hand, completely unknown) obstacles for our community; I believe it is our job as veterans on this campus to help the class of 2028 navigate this environment with us.

One of my professors recently made a similar point at the beginning of classes – this year may get difficult, personally and publicly. We will disagree, get angry and feel sadness. Through all of it, we still must take care of each other.

I’m a huge advocate of speaking up for what you believe in, even if it upsets and challenges others. It’s how we grow as a community. However, with that statement comes a necessary reminder to readers – and myself – that, to put it bluntly, challenging each other doesn’t mean being an asshole. There are ways that we can and should hold each other accountable while remembering that we are all people with a shared, vested interest in each other’s lives.

Along these lines, I’ll leave you with a quote from Paulo Freire, Brazilian educator and philosopher, that I work to remind myself of daily. It is hard to swallow sometimes because it reminds us that we are fighting for more than just our allies and friends. Freire says:

“This, then, is the great humanistic and historical task of the oppressed: to liberate themselves and their oppressors as well… And this fight, because of the purpose given it by the oppressed, will actually constitute an act of love opposing the lovelessness which lies at the heart of the oppressors violence.”

I interpret Freire’s words as encouraging us to want a better life for those that we disagree with, or even those who are actively making our lives harder. (You can interpret it however you’d like.) Regardless, it’s a tough sentiment. It’s hard to love more than the people who love you back. I invite everyone to commit that act of love this year – with people you’ve always held close, but more importantly, with people you don’t know or haven’t ever wanted to. What does that look like for you? How can you push yourself?

With peace,

OPS