Dear Readers,

When I attended my first Nass meeting two years ago, I was searching for a place to pitch an idea. Never did I imagine that I would stumble into a wonderful community that I have called my home ever since. Even less did I envision ever having the humble honor of serving as one of its leaders. It is therefore with great excitement that I inaugurate the forty-third volume of the Nassau Weekly. 

Throughout my undergraduate experience, during which I have often struggled to navigate my relationship to Princeton regarding both its campus culture and its institutional framework, my most consistent rock has been the Nassau Weekly. Though most ostensibly a vehicle for expressions of student intellect and creativity, the Nass is also a space that strives to engender such pursuits, that encourages students to take themselves seriously without forgetting to have fun along the way. Now that many of us have returned to a campus so similar to yet also so unlike the one we once knew, I am more grateful for this community than ever. 

Despite what we may have hoped, 2021 will not be a return to our previous state of normalcy: the Nass will not return to physical print this semester, and we will continue to conduct our biweekly meetings over Zoom, both to satisfy public health guidelines and to include all members of our community, whether or not they have elected to return to campus. Nonetheless, we are excited to continue publishing virtual issues on our website on a weekly basis. 

Just as our nation and world must use this pandemic as an opportunity to re-evaluate our collective ideals, so should we use yet another abnormal semester to continue contemplating our vision for the best kind of Princeton. I hope that even—or especially—during another one-of-a-kind semester, the Nassau Weekly can continue to be a space for these kinds of conversations. I hope you will join us along the way.  

With love and gratitude,

Peter Taylor ‘22

Editor-in-Chief