Over the past year, it has felt like the country and our campus are making history every day. And let’s face it: the constant swirl of news makes it difficult to discern key takeaways and much less decide where you stand.

The Hatchet’s editorial board — made up of members of Hatchet staff — meets weekly to make sense of these complex headlines, particularly those that we feel are most salient to our readers and community. The product of our discussions is our paper’s weekly staff editorial, an article that represents the voice of our student staff and takes a stance on a trend, event or concept at GW or in the District.

We’ll be the first to say that at times, the news we discuss stumps us. Issues — even the most hyperlocal — are rarely surface-level. Declaring a defined opinion can demand clarity when, in our conversations, our editorial board detects anything but. 

The digital age, in which words can be immortalized in web archives and social media posts forever, has fostered a growing skepticism toward sharing one’s opinion with confidence. At the same time, for any given topic, there are more perspectives, commentary and analysis being circulated than ever before. The abundance of nuance on issues is enlightening, but it makes taking a side hard. 

So, sometimes, we won’t. There may be times when we align with campus consensus, break from it or fall right in the middle. But our persistent goal is to engage in the conversations that we believe matter most to our community and express the perspectives that shine through — nuance, caveats, asterisks and all. 

But we know we need to meet this moment. The challenges that lie ahead in our role as an editorial board only demonstrate the increasing need to put forth an opinion we believe in. As members of a journalistic institution that has aged and grown alongside the University for the past 120 years, it is our responsibility to push against GW’s power players, unpack complex narratives and demand attention toward GW’s unsung heroes and stories. 

There might be times when we mess up. We’re students and members of a learning institution, but we will own our mistakes and learn from them. In fact, the weekly staff editorial serves as a record of the things we learn and the growth of our voices. 

We also understand that our opinions are not the opinions of the whole University or student body, nor do we expect them to be. We strive to discuss every possible angle in our meetings, but not every perspective may end up shining through in our pieces. For that reason, if you find yourself disagreeing with us or wanting to offer a different take, we encourage you to join the conversation. Submit a letter to the editor or an op-ed. We want to hear from you. 

This year, we’ve assembled a team of six student journalists who come from multiple corners of The Hatchet to reflect an array of experiences on our editorial board. Members of the newsroom — news editors, reporters or writers — are not allowed to join the editorial board, contribute to our discussions or help write the staff editorial. 

Meet the members of the Vol. 121 editorial board:

Andrea Mendoza-Melchor, a junior from California majoring in journalism and mass communication and creative writing, is the opinions editor. She runs the weekly editorial board meetings and co-writes the staff editorial. She’s passionate about education, politics and mental health. 

Madie Turley, a sophomore from Virginia majoring in psychology, is the contributing opinions editor. She helps run the weekly editorial board meetings and co-writes the staff editorial. 

Nick Perkins, a senior from Connecticut majoring in political science, is the culture editor. He focuses on labor policy and hyperlocal D.C. issues. 

Syd Heise, a sophomore from New York majoring in political communication, is the sports columnist. She focuses on representation, accountability and engagement at GW and its collegiate athletics community. 

Carly Cavanaugh, a sophomore from New Jersey majoring in journalism and mass communication, is a research assistant. She is passionate about making the arts and arts education accessible to everyone. 

Anaya Bhatt, a junior from California majoring in political communication and international affairs, is the contributing social media director. She focuses on advocating for more diverse representation in politics. 

Our editor in chief, Grace Chinowsky, is present for our meetings and edits the staff editorials but doesn’t share her opinions. 

We look forward to meeting the challenge that our role requires. Let’s get to work.