Dear readers,

In thinking about the underlying element that connects this issue’s main stories, we kept returning to the notions of inclusion and exclusion. What does it mean to belong here at Kenyon? Our cover story speaks to this theme of acceptance — literally — with Gabe Brison-Trezise and Maya Kaufman’s “The Deciders” providing an insightful look at how Kenyon admissions officers shape each year’s incoming class of Lords and Ladies. With a new dean stepping in this summer and a recent surge in applications, a survey of Kenyon admissions seems especially timely.

When it comes to the College’s approach to off-campus housing, we see the same question of belonging emerge. In “A House Divided,” Timmy Broderick, Katherine King, and Graham Reid explore the perks and pitfalls of living — or trying to live — off-campus. Some students reside in the Village of Gambier against College policy while still paying for a dorm on campus. Others are granted permission to live in the Village. Still others,  and not only students, are denied the opportunity to lay down or maintain residential roots in the greater Gambier community.

Over the course of this year, our first, The Collegian Magazine has also had to deal with establishing itself in the student publication world, and  the wider world of the College. We are grateful for the support of donors and local businesses, which has enabled us to publish sizable print runs of our inaugural two issues. Currently a subset of the Collegian, the magazine plans to become its own student club next year while retaining strong ties to the newspaper. We are undertaking this move partly because of the opportunities it will grant for seeking additional, stable sources of revenue. We hope the Kenyon community values the work we have done, and we thank it for the positive reception thus far. This year marks the first of what we hope will be many magazine volumes to come.

                          Sincerely,

Gabe Brison-Trezise and Henri Gendreau

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