As a journalistic publication, we sit at the forefront of discussing issues that are bothering the student body, reporting on their concerns and trying to make the university a better place. We will highlight what is wrong and reach the truth in any way we can.

Whether it be issues with parking that seem to plague students at the start of every school year, or the oversights in facility cleanliness that have many students expressing their concerns on social media, we have an obligation to make them clear and heard.

However, we do this out of a place of care and respect for the community in which we live as well. Complaints do not come just for the sake of complaining, but instead to spark the change that is sometimes needed to move forward. That is the purpose of student publications, and something that we view as core to our mission in The Charger Bulletin.

We are all students here, taking the same classes, living in the same dorms, eating the same food. May we complain too much at times? Yes, of course. But at its core, we are advocating for improvement in the university. Something that will take it from just the “University of New Haven” to a place that is even higher, making it better for the thousands of students that will attend in the years after we graduate.

This reflects an aspect of public debate that has seemingly gone away; you can no longer critique without being seen as a “traitor.” The moment you challenge the status quo, you are shunned and labeled as a “hater.” Even if that status quo is holding your school, town, state or nation back from reaching its full potential. In fact, critique is the purest form of love.

As you watch a protest or social movement that shakes the foundation of what you know to be true, recognize the love that exists behind it. We have never figured everything out perfectly – it is why we must study history. Otherwise, we’d just be seeing older versions of the present. Instead, we see the foundations of the past whittled away as we learn and adapt to make our society a better place, even if it means having those difficult conversations.

For us here at the Charger Bulletin, we can have an impact on our university community. We will not just sit idly by and gloss over the issues that students are experiencing. We will recognize what is working, and certainly recognize what isn’t. It is our duty not only as students or members of an organization, it is our journalistic duty to do so.

We will kick, we will scream and we will continue to be a vessel for students to let their voices and concerns be heard, even if it is an uncomfortable conversation to have.