A Decaturian Update

Like many organizations, businesses, and institutions, The Decaturian has taken a hit during the COVID-19 pandemic. From having an entirely online school year this past year, to the inability to meet and connect with freshmen and transfer students, The Decaturian has felt the strain of quarantine and social distancing.

That being said, The Decaturian is still here. We are still the voice of Millikin’s students and that will not change. But, due to the pandemic, we are fighting to stay as involved and as active as we were before the pandemic.

Not only have we struggled to connect and recruit new students to fill our staff, but we lost some really great staff members. We had some amazing, dedicated seniors graduate this past spring. We have also lost staff members due to the great stress and disconnect that the pandemic has instilled in all of us.

So, we are regrouping. The Decaturian is healing and rebuilding our paper, our staff, and our vision. Myself, Jeana Pierson, the current interim editor-in-chief, along with Dr. Lambert, our Faculty Advisor, as well as our current staff are working diligently to resurge the paper.

You may have noticed that no new newspapers have replenished the paper racks on campus. Part of this regrouping is taking a second to breathe and figure out our next move. Putting out a tangible paper is on hold while we do so.

In the meantime, The Decaturian will still have content posted to our website: https://decaturian.com/, our Facebook page (just search The Decaturian on Facebook), and we are working on starting a YouTube channel. Although we are not putting out a physical paper, it is our duty and goal to continue informing campus and the surrounding community on the goings on of Millikin, Decatur, and the world.

Our goal is to have the newspaper baskets full with new content by the first of October. Please be patient with us as we work as fast as we can to return our operations to normal and feel free to reach out to us with any questions, concerns, or ideas.

Along with that, we are always looking for new writers, and we are in need of them. The Decaturian wants your voice. You do not have to be a Journalism major, an English major, or anything relating to writing at all. The Decaturian is a diverse group with a variety of majors and voices.

We need students to write about sports, the arts, politics, and anything that interests you. For information about joining the Decaturian, contact Jeana Pierson ([email protected]) or Dr. Scott Lambert ([email protected]).