Letter from the Editorial Board (September 2022)

The Editorial Board #press release

The Insurgent is back at last, comrades- did you miss us? We missed you! A lot has happened this summer, both in the community at large and within our own community here at The Student Insurgent. It’s time we check back in and discuss our progress since the April and May issues, in light of months of work that drastically altered the publication’s functioning for the better.

As promised, a new editorial board has been fully instated, consisting of eight editorial members and one ombuds position to guarantee well-facilitated meetings and just decision making. The editorial board positions were determined back in May/June of this year with a group vote. These positions will be elected yearly, and elected members can be recalled at any point if group consensus decides that an individual is unfit to represent the Insurgent.

The team we have assembled fills me with great pride and hope that our paper will persevere past the problems that plagued us in years prior. With the new editorial board, consisting of an amazing art editor, a committed creative writing editor, a capable copy editor, a gnarly news and photo editor, an outstanding outreach coordinator, a passionate prison project liaison, a pretty cool production editor (hi, that’s me writing this part -J. Ellis), and a wicked technomancer, we have collectively crafted a new system of production for each issue.

Instead of a model where power inevitably accumulates at the top of the collective, we have designed a new production model that ensures thorough and accurate reporting, thoughtful takes, and the badass content we are known for. Each editor will represent their respective committees - these committees will consist of designated roles and responsibilities that foster cohesion and collaboration across the many facets of the paper, encouraging all modes of participation for interested contributors of all capabilities and capacities. We’ve made style guides, submission guidelines, and codes of conduct for all of the committees that will be made public, in order to strengthen the organization, delegation, and transparency of operations in the collective. Our goal is to ensure that anyone involved in the Insurgent can become empowered to take on leadership roles that constitute strong, well-organized activist networks.

Going forward, we promise to: