Screw-Ups and apologies: The importance of saying sorry Bex Peterson Editor-in-Chief Fe fact: This issue was a mistake. Not the content, the content is fantastic. In fact, the content is especially fantastic given the fact that this issue was a mistake. My team pulled together a great paper under tough circumstances—the thing is, they shouldn't have had to. You see, every year around this time the Canadian University Press hosts a national conference called NASH that the Other Press attends. Every year I’ve gone, we've had to put out an issue the following Monday, meaning I spent much of my time working through the conference. It was difficult, it was irritating, and it took away from time I could have spent going to panels or socialising with other papers. This year, I had a chance to break that Room 1020 - 700 Royal Ave. Douglas College New Westminster, BC, V3L 5B2 604-525-3542 Bex Peterson Editor-in-Chief M editor@theotherpress.ca James Moore Layout Manager M layout@theotherpress.ca Katie Czenczek News Editor © news@theotherpress.ca Jess Berget Opinions Editor M opinions@theotherpress.ca Greg Waldock Web Editor © webeditor@theotherpress.ca Caroline Ho Assistant Editor M assistant@theotherpress.ca D jo }e@ — » h terrible cycle... and I didn't. “This is what we always do,’ I told myself. “It’s important to have an issue on the stands for the first week back. I did it when I was a section editor and an assistant editor; it should be fine.” This was a mistake. The entire conference I saw my team stressing out about tracking down articles and meeting deadlines, staying up late and working between socials and sessions. I didn’t have much time to work either, and it was incredibly difficult trying to manage things while keeping track of NASH- related events and preparing for the annual CUP plenary. Getting the issue together was a stressful slog, and it didn’t have to be. | apologized to my coworkers at the conference, and I plan to apologize to the newsroom tonight. I made a bad decision—an understandable decision, @ theotherpress.ca © editor@theotherpress.ca ¥ © /theotherpress f/douglasotherpress Lauren Kelly Graphics Manager © graphics@theotherpress.ca Sonam Kaloti Arts Editor M arts@theotherpress.ca Brittney MacDonald Life & Style Editor M lifeandstyle@theotherpress.ca Isabelle Orr Entertainment Editor © humour@theotherpress.ca Jacey Gibb Distribution Manager Meghan Lin Production Assistant @ ») © ia p | and one that has been made many times before, but still a bad decision. It happens. The important thing is recognizing it and holding yourself accountable for it. I think a lot of people are afraid of admitting when they make mistakes. It’s understandable; it’s never a comfortable position to be in, realizing that you made the wrong choice, especially if it impacts other people. Buckling down on your mistake and refusing to acknowledge it or apologize is a natural response. A friend once told me a story from when she was a young kid: She realized she'd hurt her friend’s feelings by accident and reacted by doubling down until she made her friend cry. “T have no idea why I did that,” she told me. “I was just so embarrassed.” When you realize you've made a mistake, you have to give up a certain Angela Ho Business Manager Cara Seccafien Illustrator Tania Arora Staff Reporter Naomi Ambrose Staff Writer Roshni Riar Staff Writer Billy Bui Staff Photographer Angela Ho Business Manager Jerrison Oracion Senior Columnists Jasper Milne Contributor Cover, feature and horoscope illustrations by Cara Seccafien amount of pride and control to admit it—even more to apologize and to promise to improve. I find it’s a lot easier to do if you get into the habit of recognizing your mistakes and apologizing on the regular, even over little things. That way when it comes to the big stuff, the hurtful stuff, youre already well-practised at recognizing your own faults and flaws and you have the language to apologize effectively. So, to my excellent Other Press staff: I’m sorry. Thank you for getting this issue together, and I'll do everything I can to warn the next Editor-in-Chief so this never happens again. Until next issue, Bex Peterson Bex Peterson The Other Press has been Douglas College’s student newspaper since 1976. Since 1978 we have been an autonomous publication, independent of the student union. We are a registered society under the Society Act of British Columbia, governed by an eight-person board of directors appointed by our staff. Our head office is located in the New Westminster campus. The Other Press is published weekly during the fall and winter semesters, and monthly during the summer. We receive our funding from a student levy collected through tutition fees every semester at registration, and from local and national advertising revenue. The Other Press is a member of the Canadian University Press (CUP), a syndicate of student newspapers that includes papers from all across Canada. The Other Press reserves the right to choose what we will publish, and we will not publish material that is hateful, obscene, or condones or promotes illegal activities. Submissions may be edited for clarity and brevity if necessary. All images used are copyright to their respective owners.