When we posted the last story of the spring 2020 semester our website, the coronavirus pandemic had taken its toll on the Texas A&M University-San Antonio community and Mesquite editing team. Having to abruptly move to a remote newsroom while navigating online classes with the rest of the student body, spending the summer away from reporting felt like a well-earned hiatus.
However, like the rest of 2020, the summer semester turned out to be filled with news.
The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and others spurred local demonstrations and protests, national conversation and global news coverage. Videos on Twitter and other social media outlets of police brutality forced people to pay more attention to news than before. Joe Biden’s announcement of his running mate, Kamala Harris, added to the political news cycle of an election year.
Focusing closer to home, our campus went through many changes because of the coronavirus. Moving the summer semester and a majority of the fall semester online highlighted the technological needs of our community. The General’s Store played a major role in providing aid to community members. The university assembled a coronavirus task force who oversees the phased reopening of campus. Students continued to attend classes, bettering their future during such a confusing time, while others participated in drive-through graduation ceremonies and entered the professional workforce with shiny new degrees.
Although the Mesquite did not publish new content throughout the summer months, incoming editors paid close attention to what was happening to our Jaguar community. Now back to work, we are dedicated to playing our part as campus informers, updating students, faculty and staff on campus and Southside updates.
Although we may not be physically together this semester, we are all part of a campus community; an informed student body aids in growth and plays a vital part in holding the university accountable, calling for transparency and action when necessary.
We want to tell stories relevant to our community. We want you to play a part in keeping the campus informed. We want you to know that we have our eyes and ears open, even from a distance.
