The Scarlet & Black welcomes back all returning students, faculty, staff and administration. Additionally, we would like to welcome all new members of the community—first years, transfer students, new faculty and our new President Raynard Kington.

The semester has gotten off to a strong start. The success of this year’s newly revamped New Student Orientation helped catapult the entire student body into the right mindset for a new year. The arrival of our new president represents a fresh chapter in Grinnell College history.
After the tumultuous events that occurred at the end of last semester, we take heart in the promise of a new year. The fact that things have gone relatively smoothly gives us hope that the year will remain as harmonious as these past few weeks have been.

Still, we should not assume that the year will continue smoothly without steady effort from the community. Grinnell is the place in which we have all chosen to spend a significant number of years. We all have a responsibility to the school, our fellow students, staff, faculty and all members of the outside community to maintain the comfortable environment that we all appreciate.

It’s easy to take things for granted in this community where we so frequently tout “self-governance” as our crowning quality. But we all have to remember that without the dedication and constant effort of every member of the community, self-governance is as meaningless as fourteen letters and a hyphen.

Grinnell is a community unlike any other, and as long as we all play our parts, this could be an excellent year.