Editor-in-Chief, Helen Rummel: PBS Kids is better than any other kids’ channel. Disney, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network? None of them rival PBS Kids. I may not understand my friends’ jokes, but I will forever have the memory of watching “Cyberchase” after school.
Managing Editor and Princess, Ellie Albin: As someone who goes to many social events every week and genuinely enjoys partaking in them, I feel like I’ve earned the right to say this: leaving early is one of the most freeing power moves on the planet. Just the other day, I was at an event taking place inside one of IU’s classroom buildings, but the setting sun and warm breeze beckoned me outside. So, I went! I bought myself a venti Pink Drink from Starbucks and took in the sights, smells and sounds of spring.
Managing Editor, Salomé Cloteaux: A lot of nerds are going to be mad at me, but in the infamous Oxford Comma Debate, I will argue against it. Most people are ardent supporters of the – I will admit – technically grammatically correct comma placed after the penultimate item in a list. I know I am in the minority, even among journalists who are forced to omit Oxford commas because AP Style does not use it unless it’s imperative for clarity. The rare opponents of the Oxford comma argue that it is often unnecessary, pointless and excessive (note the absence of the abominable punctuation mark). In most cases, readers will have enough common sense not to be confused by a list without the comma. So why not just make an informed and intentional decision to use it only when it is necessary? Although, for the sake of honesty, I must admit that the true motivation behind my controversial opinion is simply that I find it amusing to get people riled up about grammar.
Opinion Editor, Jared Quigg: Consider this a preemptive strike on a hater below (the so-called arts editor!). Taylor Swift is a genius. Her music unites the people against the monopolists (Ticketmaster), the homophobes and against all the reactionaries who are mean and a liar and pathetic and alone in life and mean. She’s our Lenin.
Arts Editor, Sophie Goldstein: This is such a hot take — and hopefully no one sends me hate mail — but I am not a Taylor Swift fan. I don’t know what it is, but for some reason I just do not like her music. Never have, never will — if it comes on the radio, I do have to switch stations...
Opinion Editor, Elizabeth Valadez: Listening to songs on repeat is the superior form of listening. I can’t begin to count the number of times I’ve put Delaney Bailey’s “Finish Line” on repeat for hours on end. If you don’t like listening to songs on repeat, maybe you just don’t like the song enough.
News Editor, Natalie Fitzgibbons: As the second semester of my sophomore year in college is coming to an end, I’ve realized the effect people can have on others — in a positive or negative way — in such a short amount of time. The amount of friendship just one semester can bring feels like a year – each semester honestly feels like an entirely different, new year. Then, suddenly, the school year is over, you and your new friends go separate ways for the summer, and then the true friends you made and yourself come back together again. College is funny like that.
News Editor, Carter DeJong: SpongeBob SquarePants premiered 24 years ago this week, the same week I drew my first breath on Earth. I must disagree with Iranian cleric Shahab Moradi in saying that SpongeBob is solely a fictional hero. He is my generation’s Mickey Mouse, as synonymous with America as McDonald’s or the Star-Spangled Banner. What is more American than that?
Arts Editor, Erin Stafford: In the Larry David universe, “Curb Your Enthusiasm” is a much better show than “Seinfeld.” Its home at HBO enables David to explore the same kind of comedy already established in “Seinfeld'' in a much more mature and hilarious way with the inclusion of vulgar language and taboo topics. David’s ability to turn everyday formalities into chaotic fits of frustration is genius. And even more impressive, most of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” is improvised. It just does not get better than David dishing out snarky one-liners on the fly.
