Letter from the Editor: Hey. What’s Up? Hello.

IMG_2519Just a month ago, many of you were so anxious to get back in the classroom, getting bored at home and, well, here we are. I hope your minds are back in the books and you’re not drowning in work yet. The fact that you’re reading this means that we were successful in showing that our school paper is important and some people actually care about “the voice of the SOU students.”  

I had a great summer, thanks for asking.  During the warm months I stayed busy writing for some publications around the Rogue Valley that you may or may not have seen.  While trying to stack as many bylines as possible and challenge myself, the idea of measuring accomplishments or personal wins under the title feats of strength turned to a recurring theme this summer.

Now, specific definitions of this phrase can vary in circumstances but that’s part of what makes feats of strength interesting. Every person has their own limitations, expectations, and ideas of what is a feat of strength.  A good friend of mine told me that his was finishing the entire 202 episode “X-Files” series this summer.  One of our staff writers claimed to have packaged salmon in Alaska for 56 days straight. And another young woman told me that hers was becoming confident and comfortable in being single.  My greatest summer feats of strength included lowering my two mile personal record, fitting 40 WHOLE Cheez-Its into my mouth at once and doing a backflip into Crater Lake.

Unfortunately, these first few weeks of school have been unlike any other in Oregon collegiate history: we have been hurt by the news of a mass shooting at Umpqua Community College and made uneasy by a threat which closed our own campus for a day. But we challenge you to keep pushing yourself in these tough times.  Be careful not to become too obsessed with the behavior of others or constantly trying to outdo yourself, but make sure you keep track of personal progress and note your self-improvements. We’d love to hear about your summer feats of strength and run them in the next issue of The Siskiyou.  Send ’em my way: stillmane@sou.edu

I speak for the entire Siskiyou staff when I say that we are elated to cover issues and events going on around the campus and the Earth this school year.

Thanks for listening,

Eli