It is never an intelligent thing to allow the failures of the past to affect the successes of the future.
Lessons learned and opportunities before us
By Matthew Fraser, Editor in Chief
We’ve all experienced that weird moment when we roll out of bed and get hit with December. Between the dreary rains that began in October and the head-down urgency of school work, time has managed to get the better of you without you knowing that you were in danger. It’s as if you blinked in August and opened your eyes to Christmas lights with a vague recollection of Halloween. Still, you must move forward despite your confusion.
December, alongside being a constant and somehow predictable surprise, also marks the end of the Fall semester and the end of its run of issues before the winter semester brings us back to the fore. The frantic scramble before the AGM, the shudders of fear before finals begin, the wallet-wrecking act of Christmas, all bear down at the same time. This year has been no exception, save for the extra havoc caused by previously missed opportunities.
Unfortunately, a few issues before my tenure as Editor in Chief have negatively impacted the OP; as a result, we have had to distance ourselves from Douglas College. Though these unfortunate events are being addressed, it impacts the future moves and abilities of the OP. Amongst the resulting issues is the inability to expand and rehire section editors or pursue a more active community involvement. Though the OP will be continuing in the foreseeable future, further adjustments and changes will be required to reassess and address our needs.
However, the AGM to be held on December 7—the date that this Lettitor will be printed—offers all members of the OP collective and concerned individuals an opportunity to ask questions and propose ideas as we move forwards. This will be an opportunity for everyone to understand and contribute to our ongoing plans.
Unfortunately, the lack of an AGM in the preceding two years contributed to our current woes; but it is never an intelligent thing to allow the failures of the past to affect the successes of the future. We have now completed many of the necessary audits and we can proceed forwards with a clearer and more erudite understanding of our situation.
My focus as EiC will be to continue to address and correct the issues that previously happened while also shoring up the OP against possible repetitions of these issues. The past three months have given me many important lessons and revealed deficiencies that desperately need to be addressed for the OP to rebound in the New Year on a truer path and with a clearer direction. Issues in our governance and our bookkeeping were revealed and addressed; the necessary role and skills of leadership were considered. I am confident that the changes we have planned for the OP will help us as we move forward and successfully continue our publication.
The primary goal that we will be pursuing in the upcoming year will be to engage the necessary professional services to guide us into the future. Though these crucial back-end changes will not bleed into the public actions or publications of the OP, I believe that it is imperative to address the fact that they will be happening. Additionally, we will use our time and our resources to best understand how we can return to the previous size and scope of this publication while adding new dimensions to our paper.
I encourage all readers and contributors to the OP to continue your support as we move into the New Year and to remain encouraged by the opportunities before us.
