No, we aren’t Bethel Magazine Jr.

By Josh Towner

Every year, The Clarion invariably runs into questions about our identity. Are we a ragtag group of students committed to finding the truth? Are we a bunch of 20-something-year-olds trying to get the hottest gossip on campus in print and online? Are we simply a forum for students to hold opinionated debates? Are we the Bethel Magazine Jr.? The answer is simpler than it seems.

The Clarion is a student publication. That means we’re produced by students for students. Yes, it’s fun that my grandmothers comment on every story I write saying, “nice article Josh!,” but my grandmothers aren’t The Clarion’s primary audience. The Clarion is, first and foremost, for the students, not the professors or the alumni or the coaches or my grandparents. The Clarion helps our staff of journalists, photographers and designers gain valuable work experience, and it gives student readers an opportunity to see the sides of Bethel that exist outside the line at RG and their dorm rooms. 

I want The Clarion to cover why it seems like the bathrooms in the BC are being cleaned every time you try to use them, not just the closing of the Child Development Center. The Clarion will write about the ongoing war between the Unbethical and Bethiccal meme pages on Instagram or the number of students who cried at the end of Stranger Things 3 in addition to the impact of the growing budget deficit on the Bethel community. I want students to open The Clarion to learn that they can get a rotisserie chicken punch card at the dining center, how long the big dirt pile will be around and that Geetha Peters might just be the glue holding this community together. 

So, our first issue contains a little bit of everything we want to write about this year. We have a column about St. Thomas leaving the MIAC, a story about the ongoing construction and a list of jobs students can apply for. 

Reach out to us. Stop by our office in The Loft. Ask us questions, tell us your hopes and fears. I’m excited for this year of The Clarion. I can’t wait to share our work with you.