Rohan & Sophia’s Editor’s Note Fall 2024:
Before diving into this issue, we would like to thank everyone involved in creating one of our largest issues in recent POV history. From production and web design to editors, ACs, faculty, and writers, each team member has played an immense role in making the POV such a successful magazine and ensuring constructive dialogue heading into one of the most critical elections in recent memory.
Today, we stand at the heart of division. Since our last issue in the spring, there has been little progress negotiating a ceasefire deal in both the Israel-Hamas & Russia-Ukraine conflicts. Domestically, we’ve witnessed a democratic candidate change, two assassination attempts on a former U.S President, and an increasingly polarizing election with widespread global consequences that could shape the trajectory of the U.S in the near future. At the POV, we would like to emphasize, now more than ever, the importance of creating substantiated arguments to navigate the conflicts around us. This requires engaging with a variety of reputable sources and always acknowledging both sides of an issue in forming one’s opinion. At BB&N, we have tried to navigate election uncertainty through healthy discussions in advisory meetings and an emphasis on keeping students informed about current events.
At the POV, we acknowledge and encourage a diversity of opinions in our articles, understanding the spectrum of political views and perspectives in our student community on divisive global issues. However, we also realize the adverse or polarizing reactions individuals can have on someone else’s opinion, especially around sensitive topics. Writing this issue before the election, we hope that BB&N students can continue to foster a culture of respect around political discourse and encourage others to voice diverse and informed arguments. The domestic political landscape has become destructive, leaving individuals forced to choose a side and lean into all of the values of that specific political party. We hope that students at BB&N can continue to distinguish between policies that they value and potentially harmful ideologies that they might indirectly promote in the process. Generally, we advise students to always read into both sides of an issue and have respectful political discourse with others before they create their own conclusions.
At this point, we do not know the result of the election, nor the fallout that could surface with a certain outcome. However, we emphasize to all BB&N students and the community around us the importance of staying informed, understanding why people believe what they believe, and always resorting to discussion instead of unsubstantiated violence. Navigating and understanding the result of the election will be challenging, especially when it is likely that we will not get a definitive result on the night of November 5th. Therefore, at the POV, our final message to all BB&N community members is to continue fostering informed opinions and healthy political discourse in the face of division.