Dear readers,

We at the Record are excited to present our first full issue of 2021!

As we begin another semester marked by uncertainty, the Record remains committed to its mission of serving the Williams community through fair and independent journalism. In our weekly online issues and breaking news reporting, we are dedicated to providing timely, reliable information as the pandemic, and our community’s response to the pandemic, continues to evolve. We hope to share stories that bring us together despite our social distance, including through our podcast and video storytelling.

The pandemic has also underscored the racial and socioeconomic inequities endemic to our national and local institutions. This semester, the Record will work to spotlight those inequities and other longstanding issues that marginalized communities face. We hope to do so through the Record’s Race, Privilege, and Identity reporting team and a renewed commitment to investigative journalism.

These commitments inform our reporting on issues that extend beyond the College. Recent concerns about police misconduct in Williamstown have, for many, called attention to the importance of civic engagement. In January, the Record hired its first town news editor and began to publish recaps of the biweekly Williamstown Select Board meetings. In bolstering our coverage of town news, it is our hope that members of the College community — and students in particular — will become more engaged members of the Town community.

On another note, please join me in welcoming 16 brilliant new editors to our editorial board! I am honored to work alongside this team of outstanding student journalists. 

As we start producing our next issue, we would love to hear your thoughts on what we have done right and where we have fallen short. You can submit a response to our feedback form here or reach me at [email protected]. Through your feedback, the Record can better fulfill its most fundamental responsibility — serving the community that we call home.

Sincerely yours,

Kevin Yang ’22

Editor-in-Chief