2024 was The Campus Resident’s first full calendar year publishing monthly issues online and quarterly print editions delivered to homes across the university neighbourhoods.
We even managed to get paper copies to a majority of residential buildings during the recent Canada Post strike thanks to heroic efforts by UNA staff and the kind volunteers who assisted in placing stacks of newspapers in building lobbies.
The Campus Resident is planning some changes in 2025 including more print issues since we’ve had a lot of feedback that people really enjoy reading a “real” paper. I love it when I see someone reading the paper in Doughgirls or Blenz, and my apologies to people who were overwhelmed when I blurted to strangers, “Oh, you’re reading the paper. Awesome! Do you like it?”
Here’s my roundup of some of the highlights of 2024. Looking through 12 months of stories, I saw some strong themes emerging, particularly in stories about sustainability and community, and also ongoing reporting about traffic safety.
Winter: January–March
In January, Eagle Glassheim reported on negotiations between the UNA and UBC for a new Neighbour’s Agreement. And despite a little late drama, it was a story that took all year to come to a conclusion.
Jennifer Chen’s first story on the sharing economy and sustainability was published in our March print issue and kicked off what became a series on sustainability and sharing efforts. Since the story was published, an increasing number of buildings have been offering residents similar junk sharing and recycling opportunities.
Spring: April–June
Spring was a season that saw our reporters out and about across campus. Ada Burcur captured some great images of people looking at cherry blossoms; Warren McKinnon visited Wildlight Kitchen and Bar in leləṁ to find out why the restaurant was creating a buzz; Elina Hailaijiao went to the first market of the year at the UBC farm, and I went to the newly reopened Museum of Anthropology to find a familiar but invigorated museum.
And in May, the newspaper first broke the news of the promised update to the crosswalk on West 16th Avenue.
Summer: July–September
Ada Bucur spent a lot of the summer following up on reporting about the promised crosswalk on West 16th and Binning Road as the promised dates for completion came and went. An initial completion “by Labour Day” was followed by September reporting that the project was again delayed.
Amie Bernaerdt visited some community gardens in the height of summer for a report on how everyone’s tomatoes were growing and on the UNA’s plans to expand the very popular community garden program.
The Campus Resident celebrated one year of publication with a tribute to its volunteers and its now traditional booth at Neighbours’ Day. Anne Zhang reported on the popular UNA-organized event and looked at all the activities that took place.
Fall: October–December
Ada Burcur finally completed the crosswalk saga in the November issue and Jennifer Chen reported on the Sustainability Swap and resident-initiated community events.
When elections for the UNA board of directors were underway, we provided an opportunity for candidates to answer some of our questions, which helped to flesh out the details of their platforms.
Daniel Li’s reporting on the election results rounded out a great series of political news reports that he’s been doing this year.
As an editorial board member, I have had a rich experience over the past year. I’ve learned a lot (especially about coyotes), and I’ve had fun meeting people, working with my fellow board members and our fabulous volunteer writers.
The UNA board changes do mean some personnel changes on the editorial board over the coming months, including recruiting for a new regular member, and of course, we’re always keen to welcome new writers. If any of this sounds appealing, please do get in touch!
ROBYN STARKEY IS A WESBROOK PLACE RESIDENT AND A MEMBER OF THE CAMPUS RESIDENT NEWSPAPER EDITORIAL COMMITTEE.