Photo by Cole Breiland

What is the Argus? It’s a question I began asking myself only recently, after years of reading, and then writing for, the paper. As incoming Editor-in-Chief, I figured it was time to seek out an answer. With some serious study and reflection, or possibly a quick consultation of Wikipedia, I discovered that Argus was a hundred-eyed giant of Greek legend: Argus Panoptes, or “all-seeing”.

I suspect the bright young minds of this institution hardly need reminding that Zeus had a thing for the young nymphs. Well aware of this penchant, his wife Hera assigned Argus to keep watch over a particularly seductive nymph, to stymie the lecherous god’s advances. Is it too much of a stretch to imagine our student newspaper in place of its mythical namesake, guarding the student body from the slippery tentacles of corruption and injustice?

One problem: the Argus staff combined possesses a paltry 24 eyes. The rest can only be provided by you. Whether the “you” in question happens to be a Lakehead student, a faculty member, or a Thunder Bay resident with no ties to the university, I’d like to ask your help in making next year’s Argus a relevant, vibrant, and exciting publication – one that speaks to Lakehead students and the city as a whole.

As an editorially independent newspaper with no corporate owner tying our hands, the Argus is free to be your paper, covering issues others can’t or won’t. We’ll be making efforts to reach out to students and the wider community, and we hope you will reciprocate. We can’t be “all-seeing” without you.

In practice, the help I’m requesting can range from taking a minute out of your day once in a while to making the paper a part of your life. It could mean shooting us an email with a story suggestion, submitting a story or a letter to the editor, or becoming a regular contributing member of the “Argus family” – a dysfunctional one, to be sure, but then what self-respecting family isn’t?

Jaded visitors from larger metropolises might disagree, but Thunder Bay is never short of compelling stories. The catch is that, as students, we do not always have the time to catch them as they develop. It’s also true that, as students, we aren’t always exposed to major local issues like poverty and racism. So when you see something that should be talked about, point it out to us (argus@lakeheadu.ca). Tell us what we should be covering and what we can improve upon.

Even better, come visit us in our office (UC 2014b, upstairs from the Study) and pitch a story of your own. Contributing to the paper in the form of articles, photos, or comics affords you the thrill of putting your work in front of thousands of readers. And if the glory isn’t enough, contributors also get paid.

Keep these ideas in mind over the summer; I hope to see students and community members claiming The Argus as their own next year.

Finally, a huge thanks to this year’s staff and contributors for your hard work and dedication! You have set an imposing standard to build upon for next year.

Ian Kaufman

Editor-in-Chief, 2010/2011