No one would think you are crazy for saying this headline is late. Everything about this paper has been—at least for the last few weeks.

“The Recorder” has run issues through many local and national crises over the years—always supported by the students who feed it. Unfortunately, the pandemic’s many sufferings have also brought the thing people fear most in college—

Jobs.

Yes, the job market has happily stolen from Central Connecticut State University’s enrollment rates. Especially in the Journalism department, where there is more than enough news to go around. As of last May, “The Recorder” found itself back at square one with absolutely zero staff.

Because of this, “The Recorder” has been scrambling these first few weeks—running through a revolving door of editors and struggling with little guidance. The staff, save for the advisors, have openly admitted that the group has no idea what they are doing. “The Recorder” has been throwing out stories until they stick, fixing and focusing on pieces they like, and honestly—it has been fun.

There has been stress that comes along with running a paper. But all of the pomp and circumstance that “The Recorder” once had has effectively been erased. Instead, they have realized the staff can do whatever they want with it—if for no other reason than that they are the only ones left.

It is a sobering thought but also a freeing one.

“The Recorder” will slowly return to some order in the next few weeks—if not months. But it is nice to know that all our projects start like this: fresh and unfettered at some point.  This is the time to cultivate change within groups and strengthen their foundation.

At “The Recorder,” they have been relentlessly searching for writers, contributors, and editors to assist with these issues. While previous supply would have students waiting for their place on our back page, current demand—well—demands nothing. For example, a person can become an editor, not because of their skills (even if they are pretty good), but because no one else wanted the task. That is it.

There are many more talented creators on this campus, and the only reason they have not seized the opportunities “The Recorder” has is because of the prior standards that would encourage them not to.

To those students, it is essential to ask: So what?

Who is going to stop them? None of the staff will. The whole system is being rewritten, and almost no one is supervising “The Recorder.” So, if there was EVER a time to bet on talented writers, it is now.

That may sound like a ‘Hail Mary’ pitch at getting writers, but it is a little bit more than that. It is a wake-up call: to everyone on campus who has felt like they have missed something these past two years. Friends, family, parties, trips, classes, experiences—pieces of their youth and education that they have lost.

Nothing can get that time back, but this can be made up. One can bet on themselves. Apply for that job. Buy that ticket. Talk to that stranger. Ask them out. People have seen what lost time can do to them, to their mind, and their health. It is time for them to take those chances back, even if it scares them—even if it is a little bit at a time.