The authors of your collective story [Audio]

Mike Sholars
Editor in Chief
In the wake of true tragedy, I sometimes lose track of where I stand.
On April 15, an international student died in the York Village. Her name was Qian Liu, and you probably know her from the news reports that have emerged since her murder. Every media outlet worth mentioning has been on campus lately, interviewing students and trying to answer a simple question: what is wrong with the York community?
The current string of assaults against females in the York community has brought the issue of safety into the general student discourse. Thousands of students call this area home, and our home is no longer safe. Students and the administration alike have devised ways to respond, but for many, change will not come quickly enough.
There is a feeling of unease on campus right now. Once the unthinkable has happened, rational thought becomes a challenge. Every time a newsworthy event hits York in the face, we suddenly become interesting to the public at large. Once the attention subsides, the camera crews pack up and the media leaves the university to its own devices until the next tragedy. Once again, we will be a solitary community of students cut off from the rest of the city.
And Excalibur will be right there with you.
All of us here are students. Many of us live in the Village. Once this moment passes, we won’t abandon you to cover a dance competition at the University of Toronto. We give a damn about the York  community because we’re part of it and we hate feeling useless.
When I first heard about Qian Liu, she was known simply as “a female York University student.” I was sitting in my friend’s basement apartment in the Village, and one question immediately came to mind: how did this happen?
Our reporters found out and passed that knowledge on to you through our website, and now through this issue. That’s what we’re all about here: informing you, letting you know the details behind events that will shape your time at this school.
I certainly can’t get news and entertainment out to a whole campus by myself, and that’s where you come in. Your comments on our website, your quotations in our articles, your willingness to come in and write an article because you know better than we do. To put it simply; this paper cannot run without you.
In the wake of true tragedy – and our campus has seen several in a very short stretch of time – I sometimes lose track of what my purpose is. This time, my purpose is clear: Excalibur stands beside you. We are the voice of the students, and we don’t plan on shutting up any time soon.
I look forward to working with you, York. Let’s write our story, one page at a time.