Letter from the Editor: Earth Week
Spring Break has ended and The Corsair returns from its two week break, forcing us to get back in the newsroom and produce an issue. The break couldn’t have come at a better time either as election coverage, along with the Corsair-hosted debate, had us running out of gas quick. But now we’re back, refreshed and having forgotten the animosity towards one another that can only come from spending far too much time together. We’re back and just in time for Earth Week.
One whole week was dedicated to honoring our home and protector from the uninhabitable conditions of outer space and promoting sustainability and clean living. Tons of booths and activities were set up giving students plenty to do while being green. Our staff swarmed the festivities to pick out the most interesting parts, and our staff writers Sebastian Marquez-Mayorga and Ashleen Knutsen reported back with an overall look at the whole event. Condensing five days down into one article can be difficult, but luckily both Ashleen and Sebastian used their lessons about reducing waste to cut down the piece to a reasonable size.
Our photostory takes us to parts of the country that probably feel less inclined to honor the planet considering it constantly attempts to kill them with violent storms. Staff Photographer Kyle Toelken takes us on a journey through the midwest as he attempts to chase down what most would try to escape — supercell thunderstorms and tornadoes. This is why we like them crazy here at The Corsair, because his dismissal of the self-preservation instinct yielded some wonderful shots.
Continuing with the earth theme, the SMC Alumni Association brought us an SMC Alumni who is a head of state for a country halfway around the world. Inonge Wina, vice president of Zambia, was honored last Monday with the Distinguished Alumni Award, bringing an international perspective to the kinds of success stories that SMC breeds. Wina returned to the school after being away for over 40 years to create quite a buzz on campus as her and her large security detail took a tour that was hard to miss if you were on the quad.
One of the attendees of the luncheon was Zambian runner and former Olympian Prince Mumba. He’s the subject of another piece this week where our Sports Editor Josh Shure details his current attempt to return to the Olympics with the help and coaching of Santa Monica Track Club coach and founder Joe Douglas. Douglas is attempting to use his insane amount of experience, including being the coach of track legend Carl Lewis, to set Mumba up with the tools he needs to get there.
Rounding out our earth-themed content (totally unintentional, we’re just lucky. I hate themed content.), the weekly Op-Ed Duel returns with the battle of vegans versus meat-eaters. Reigning champion and Opinion Editor Grace Gardner – who has the blood of challengers perpetually dripping from her fangs – takes on our resident vegan and Managing Editor Bailey Peraita. Their discussion revolves around the environmental impact of eating meat versus worldwide veganism, as they attempt to make mincemeat out of each other's arguments.
Our A&E Editor Jake Hirsohn doesn’t mention the planet once (I promise) as he delivers his much-sought-after opinion on the success of this summer’s biggest films. He uses his usual acerbic, clever prose to elevate and dash the dreams of six upcoming releases. Also, I lied. He does mention the planet when he refers to the first “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” reboot and writes, “Everyone on Planet Earth hated it.”
They say if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. That’s hogwash. We love this job, but it’s work and we miss Spring Break. But even though it’s over, we’re going to keep the party coming every Wednesday with the hottest new themed content.