As I write this letter to you, I must confess that I am behind on, well, just about everything. I haven’t submitted my final project proposal for my Global Asian Diasporas class (sorry Professor Nguyen!), I’m roughly two novels behind in my Jane Austen class (VERY sorry Professor Connolly!), and I’ve yet to buy my best friend’s birthday gift and a set of fake bangs so that I can dress up as Mia Wallace from Pulp Fiction. Halloween is right around the corner, and even as a lover of all things spooky and Winona Ryder, I’ve somehow managed to let this time of year slip past me.
A huge part of why is because of this magazine you’re holding between your hands.
We at Imprint have been working tirelessly to prepare this November issue. As the newly-appointed Senior Editor for the magazine, my goal is to provide students with a clear snapshot of what campus is like at this very moment. What do students think, want, and feel?
Whether I’m in class or on Reddit, I often hear students say that WUSA doesn’t represent them, and it feels fitting that this issue begins with an investigative article on WUSA’s new governance model. Waterloo, contrary to what one would expect from its nerdy reputation, is filled with students who look like they’ve stepped right from a fashion catalogue, and so we decided to take a closer look at what students have been wearing this fall. There are articles about the push to unionize on campus, what it’s like to be an exchange student, the upcoming theatre production, just to name a few. I want students reading to see some aspect of themselves reflected in these pages whether their interests lie in sports, fashion, or student politics.
It is often said that UW has no culture, and while I once believed the same, I now know the opposite to be true: I’ve been genuinely moved each time someone walks into my office and tells me about what excites them not only as a writer or as a student, but as an individual. I aim to capture just how much passion exists within our student body, and I feel breathlessly giddy — and even a little nervous — knowing that you will be the judge of whether or not I have managed to achieve such a lofty goal.
This issue was a collaborative effort and I want to sincerely thank our contributors, copyeditors, and creative team, without whom I would have no reason to show up to my office and no November issue. I would also like to thank Miga Japanese and Korean for their vegetarian dumplings which were my raison d’être during every late night spent poring over articles and spreadsheets. God bless.
Lastly, I want to thank you (yes you!) for choosing to pick up this magazine. You didn’t have to, and you did anyway, and having even one person to care makes this job feel so worth it.
Happy reading!
Nadia
