With the end of the school year quickly approaching, The North Wind ends another year of publishing. In these final weeks of the 2022-2023 school year, we took some time to reflect on our favorite articles and topics of the year, as well as new additions to our multimedia presence on our website and social media. 

One rewarding part of journalism is the exposure to different people and perspectives and learning about a number of different life experiences. Student profiles in particular serve as a way of seeing how our campus community lives and breathes. 

Radio X DJ Sophia Gielniak’s approach to hip hop offered not only new music from an under-approached genre in the local music scene, but also one student’s unique view on life and philosophy. Hearing “Door Guy” R.J. explain his reason for brightening up fellow students’ days in small but meaningful ways was a look at a campus icon. We also should not forget Welles, the English Labrador Retriever who cheers up students and staff in C.B. Hedgecock. 

Each of these profiles, human and dog alike, gave us a moment to focus on a point of view that impacts others in ways we might not always recognize.

Of course, being informative comes before all, and not all articles are meant to be lighthearted and fun. A look at Northern’s planned renovation of Harden Hall brought students into meetings with administrators. This included discussions of revenue and budget, allowing the average Wildcat to see NMU’s budget come back to them in the form of new learning spaces, a stronger focus on sustainability and a relocation of the Political Science department. 

We also got a couple of chances to learn more about current NMU President Brock Tessman, from his early days in education to his first days on the job. Stories like this allow us to take a step back and look at the big picture of Northern, giving us a moment to see how all of the moving parts that come together to create this campus community are changing and what is yet to come.

We also should not forget our added attention to multimedia over the past year. The addition of multiple photos in articles gave students a look at events with energy that words sometimes cannot replace — whether that is courtside at a sporting event or up close to a band at a concert. Social media also gave readers the opportunity to take a quick look at articles before reading, as well as the ability to share them with friends. On top of that, this year marked the beginning of The North Wind Editorial Sessions podcast, where our editorial staff sits down to discuss various topics floating around NMU.

Moving forward, The North Wind plans to press harder with our best elements and strive for new ideas each semester. We will soon be renovating the entire website to be more visually appealing and user-friendly, and newsletters will be structured for a more engaging read to draw audiences in. 

Yet, no matter what the next year brings, we can assure you that we will be here to cover it. 

Editor’s Note: The North Wind is committed to offering a free and open public forum of ideas, publishing a wide range of viewpoints to accurately represent the NMU student body. This is an editorial, written by the North Wind Editorial Board in its entirety. It reflects the majority views of the individuals who make up the editorial staff of the North Wind. It is the policy of the Editorial Board not to endorse candidates for any political office, in order to avoid aligning this public forum with particular political organizations.