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Letter from the Editor
Dear Readers,
This semester, ZU Media staff finally returned to our newsroom fully in person for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to move to a hybrid capacity. For many, this was their first time seeing the newsroom in use. For some senior staff, however, being in the newsroom brought back memories of their early days working for the student outlet before the pandemic.
A divide in our scopes became clear as we began our discussion about what this issue of the magazine could look like. Some writers suggested ideas about the revival on campus in this new school year and the rebuilding of culture after the pandemic. Other writers focused on remembering what things were like on campus before the pandemic and comparing that time to our present time period.
With change, it’s natural to allow our views and comprehension of what has occured to turn into a dichotomy between what was and what is. Often, we end up picking one of these aspects, and we focus our sole attention on it; we dwell on what was, or we focus on what is.
In this issue of ZU Magazine, we invite you to shift your perspective to see change as a process — a linear development from what was to what is becoming.
Hence, “RE-” is the theme of this issue.
The “RE-” theme is a reference to the prefix that uses the same letters. Those two letters, while seemingly a small change to add to a word, carry immense weight and result in starkly new meanings and connotations. The prefix “re-” adds meanings of newness and repetition while also pointing back to what was. How reflective, then, is “re-” of our current campus climate where we are looking around with a sense of newness while recognizing that our current experiences are connected to what came before.
At this moment in time, we are all standing on the same metaphorical rock. Behind us are the memories of what was — the moments before change and the foundations that brought us to this point. Ahead of us, on the horizon, is the possibility of what is becoming — the promises of revival and growth built on what came before. Pause with us as we attempt to see what was and what is becoming as a complete picture.
This issue offers stories of revival and reflection. Join in reimagination with a football player who found new opportunities at APU after the football program ended. Hear the stories of a senior remembering their most significant memories at APU. Learn about how the current revolution in Iran fits into the country’s history of resilience.
Our hope is that these stories will allow us, as a community, to see the bigger picture — to reflect on where we’ve been and have hope for where we are going. My prayer is that you will see how God is present through it all; He was, He is and He will be.
Best Regards,
Jesse Watson