As you can probably already tell, this paper is not like our usual print issues. A lot has changed throughout the course of this pandemic, and The Daily Barometer is no exception. As the editor-in-chief of The Baro, I have made the decision to print a monthly special-themed issue through June of 2021 in addition to our weekly online content for several reasons. The main one being that we are employed college students as well as human beings who are also living through the pandemic. It is already extremely taxing working remotely in student media during the era of COVID-19, and that’s without the added pressure of printing a weekly paper like we used to.

That being said, The Baro editors miss the rewarding feeling of producing a physical paper to distribute to the Oregon State University and greater Corvallis, Ore. communities, and have collectively decided that we are ready to put together a monthly issue. 

In the past, The Baro printed a weekly paper and published breaking news on dailybarometer.com. Once the pandemic hit, we moved entirely to remote work and published all content on our website. This will not change, we are just adding an additional printed special issue every month. Not everything is set in stone—I think we all know that things are constantly changing since COVID-19 hit our communities—so the logistics of The Baro’s printing schedule and distribution timeline is subject to change. I will outline our current plan, and if the following plan changes, we will inform the community promptly. 

Starting Jan. 4, a printed issue will be distributed across campus and throughout Corvallis on the first Monday of every month through June of this year. 

This issue is themed Looking Forward: A new year. A new term. This issue is all about what is to come for the OSU community in winter term, and for Corvallis residents generally in 2021. It is my hope that we can all continue to look forward to a brighter future and remain open to new possibilities. Like I mentioned, 2020 has been a year of change—some good and some bad—and The Baro is looking to make 2021 a year of change for the good. 

The Baro has a lot of new things coming in the new year; obviously starting with printed publications, as well as a new news beat and column series.

We have introduced a new OSU Cascades beat in order to provide steadfast news regarding OSU’s Bend, Ore. campus. Luke Reynolds will lead this beat as our OSU Cascades beat reporter for the 2020-21 academic year. We have also kicked off a new column series called Mapping Mycelium: Sowing stories of resistance by Sienna Kaske.

In Kaske’s words: “My current work is looking at using storytelling to connect organizers, activists, healers, teachers, and those working towards equity and justice across Oregon. From building connections with Eastern Oregon Black Lives Matter organizers to youth around Oregon rising against racism, their stories will be lights of connection bridging communities together beyond borders. Part of this project is centralizing voices in a specific region to connect with community members, but also how we connect with our environments. We separate ourselves in counties, through invisible borders that aim to villainize and criminalize communities of color. My current work brings story, creative nonfiction, poetry and visual art to cultivate transformative change.”

The Daily Barometer continues to evolve as we roll with the punches, also known as the novel coronavirus, but we will continue to work to educate and inform our communities. All local news, opinion pieces, multimedia, sports, photography and more can be found on The Daily Barometer’s website, and special issues can be found on newsstands across OSU and Corvallis. 

By the time of publication, we will be entering our first day of winter term, so good luck everyone, and The Baro is wishing you a wonderful new year and new term.