A Note from the Editor In Chief: The following is a condensed version of the 2026-2027 report and mission statement I created for The Athenaeum over the summer. As part of our goal to communicate the team’s vision for the future of paper I wanted to share a version of these thoughts on the website.
Sincerely,
Addie Hutten
The Athenaeum has faced a variety of ongoing challenges in the past years relating to building a consistent team of writers and committing to a regular publication schedule. A small group of students have been operating the paper for the past few semesters without much new membership. This has meant that most team members have to split time between writing material and other commitments, such as administrative work or social media management. Because of this structure key aspects of maintaining the paper, for example recruitment and fostering student engagement, have gone to the wayside. Additionally, this leaves a limited pool of people to select from when considering hiring for executive positions and delegating tasks more generally.
Another primary challenge has been creating regular material for digital publication. Students have struggled to balance writing with academic commitments and other extracurricular activities. Because of this, articles about major events happening on campus and in the wider community are often not completed in time to remain relevant. These same issues with time delegation are an obstacle in maintaining consistent attendance at meetings.
Despite these challenges The Athenaeum has the opportunity to provide a much needed space for the Acadia Community to express their own perspectives and experiences. This past year has shown the interest in student politics, activism and community organizing that exists at Acadia. The Athenaeum could serve as a forum for these discussions.
Additionally, student papers such as The Athenaeum can offer an ideal opportunity for beginning writers to further develop their skills in a supportive and accessible environment. Historically, The Athenaeum has published a wide range of writing, including journalistic pieces, creative writing and editorial and opinion pieces amongst others. This range in writing possibilities, along with limited barriers to becoming involved, could provide a useful learning opportunity for individuals in the student body looking to share their work.
In conclusion, our vision for The Athenaeum is to provide a place where students can come to find reliable information and constructive dialogue about events in their community. Additionally, we hope the paper can offer opportunities for students to further develop their writing and critical thinking skills, express their creativity and create in a supportive community with other students.
Goals and Initiatives:
Recruitment and Student Engagement
- I feel recruitment and student engagement should be a strong focus for The Athenaeum this year. The paper has a very small group of writers currently involved and expanding our team will be a key part of ensuring we can put out regular material.
- I hope to build student engagement through a variety of sources, including club fair, social media, physical media as well as collaborating with other Acadia affiliated organizations.
- Because The Athenaeum has not been very active in the past years, I feel an important part of recruitment and student engagement should be communicating our goals and vision for the paper’s future.
Group Organization and Structure
- The Athenaeum has faced a variety of organizational challenges I hope to address this year. In addition to the updating of the club constitution and meeting attendance policy, I plan to establish clearer guidelines around the editing process for articles.
- I plan to advertise and hire for the positions of Social Media Manager and Copy Editor. Filling these roles will be necessary in delegating tasks for the year.
Print Media
- Athenaeum print material has previously taken the form of a newspaper, but due to our current limitations in group size and finances I feel we should explore other options. A more in depth discussion around this topic is needed though.
- Last year, zines were discussed as one potential alternative to the traditional newspaper. This could be a cost-effective and simple to design option.
