The Pleiad has been Albion College’s student-run news source since 1883. While much has changed over the course of The Pleiad’s existence, much has also remained the same, including our promise to deliver editions of our newspaper in print.
It’s no doubt that COVID-19, among other factors, has made 2020 a challenging year. Last semester, the movement to remote classes prevented The Pleiad from being able to publish in print. But the ability to publish three print editions, as we promise to do every semester, is back in the picture now that we are back on campus.
Due to protocols and regulations put in place by the college, our print editions’ distribution process will look a little different from years’ past.
The Albion Safe Zone Bubble
To protect both Albion’s campus and the outside community, the college has partnered with limited businesses who have vowed to follow the college’s comprehensive COVID-19 testing program.
Although the decision to limit travel for students to these select businesses was vital for the health and well-being of all individuals who reside in Albion, it does mean that the locations which physical copies of The Pleiad’s print editions will be delivered to this semester are more limited than they have been in semesters’ past.
To combat this issue and ensure that our campus community and the city of Albion still have access to our print edition as usual, we will be archiving a PDF version of the edition online in addition to having physical copies at select locations.
Interested businesses that fall outside of the Albion Safe Zone bubble that usually hold physical copies of the print edition will instead have a poster featuring a QR code that will lead individuals directly to the PDF version of the edition on The Pleiad’s website. These posters will also be featured at stands where physical copies are available.
Don’t Pick it Up Just to Put it Back Down
Part of the reason why posters will also be featured at stands where physical copies are available is to combat the issue of individuals picking up an edition, scanning it over and putting it back on the stand. The college wants to limit the spread of the virus as much as possible, and with that comes avoiding the spread of germs on shared surfaces.
If individuals are not certain whether or not they want to keep an edition, they have the opportunity to scan the QR code and look at the PDF found on the site.
I’m hopeful that a time when we can pick up a newspaper, skim over a couple articles and put it back are coming soon. I’m even more hopeful that when people pick up a newspaper, especially The Pleiad, they read the whole thing rather than skimming it over.
All jokes aside, regardless of whether people read the edition in full or skim a few articles here and there, the fact that we are able to present the community with an actual edition and therefore the option to do either is something I’m not taking lightly. I’m proud of my staff for the work they’ve put in during these unusual, unprecedented circumstances, and I’m proud to put out The Pleiad’s first print edition since February, right before the outbreak of COVID-19.
Mask up, wash your hands and pick up a Pleiad print edition today (or feel free to look at it online instead).
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