Dearest friends,
We warmly welcome you to a snowy campus and a new semester at The Argus—which, as you may know, is America’s oldest twice weekly college publication. We are beyond delighted to be serving as your new Editors-in-Chief. Thank you to Executive Editors Caleb Henning ’25 and Carolyn Neugarten ’26 for entrusting us with this honor.
Both of us began writing for The Argus in our very first semester at the University, but we could not have made it here or ever imagine writing this letter without the generous support of the Argus Voices Fund, a groundbreaking initiative created by former Editors-in-Chief Serena Chow ’21 and Claire Isenegger ’21. The fund, which provides financial compensation to low-income students of color for their work at the paper, has been pivotal in lowering the structural barriers of campus journalism and making The Argus a more inclusive space for all.
As we begin a new semester, we are proud to be continuing this tradition. We are now actively accepting applications for the Voices Fund from any eligible student journalist who is passionate about sharing stories that matter to our campus community.
Despite our best efforts in recent years, we recognize that The Argus remains a predominantly white newsroom, but we are committed to changing that. To do that, we need your help. Work on The Argus is unpaid for most of our staff, and the Voices Fund is barely covering grounds for our 48-people masthead. In such times of intense political polarization, we need fair and equitable journalism more than ever, which is why we are humbly asking for any gift you may be able to give to our beloved paper via our website.
As the landscape of media and journalism continues to grow and shift, we anticipate a semester filled with intense political discussion. At The Argus, we work continually to provide a space where people may disagree respectfully and where thoughtful dialogue can thrive. We are also more committed than ever to maintaining journalistic ethics, fairness, and integrity. We hope you’ll join us in that effort.
Between all of the serious talk and heated exchanges, we also hope we can add a little joy to your reading routine with our brand-new Comics and Puzzles sections, spearheaded by the wonderful Comics Editor Ali Eckstein ’26 and Puzzles Editor Isaiah Rosenn ’28. In addition to filling out the crosswords in the old-fashioned manner after your morning coffee, you can now access our ingeniously designed puzzles, including a Wesleyan-exclusive Wordle, at your fingertips by navigating to The Argcade. Ampersand, The Argus’ satirical and humor section, is also fully accessible online via its own Substack page!
As Editors-in-Chief, one of our top priorities is to make major improvements to our website. Our Web Editors, Francisca Wijaya ’27 and Marcus Leong ’28, are working tirelessly with us to make wesleyanargus.com more secure, readable, and easier to navigate for our community. We also are focused on amplifying existing initiatives towards greater inclusivity and accessibility by integrating data visualization and conducting regular interviews with community members in languages other than English.
As two avid readers of historical issues of The Argus, we have seen firsthand the power and responsibility that independent student reporting bears in shaping our institutional administration and everyday campus culture. We hope to continue the work and legacy that has been entrusted to us in this 158th year of The Wesleyan Argus. Thank you for your faith, your support, and your readership.
Yours,
Rose and Sida