By Joshua Chang
My first steps into The Eyeopener’s masthead were far from traditional.
Getting the call on April 14, 2023 that I had been elected as the Volume 57 fun and satire editor came as a shock, seeing as my only two bylines up to that point with the publication were for the communities section. I was still in a daze when I flew to Los Angeles in August of that year, slumped next to an airplane window and furiously typing up my section’s first-ever story. Wracked with guilt for having to miss the frosh issue in-person, I was determined to make a strong first impression.
Unfortunately, after a couple of days in Southern California, a bad allergic reaction quickly developed into full-scale anaphylactic shock, rendering me out of commission in a small Orange County hospital on the volume’s first production day.
Yeah, that definitely was not my proudest moment.
Now, as I approach the end of Volume 58 as its editor-in-chief (EIC), life couldn’t be more different.
I began my tenure as EIC with a burning excitement. The Eye was still facing rippling impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic and Bill C-18, including a loss in our readership, limited community engagement and a dwindling volunteer base. The 2024-25 school year represented the first full turnover of students at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) since the world was shut down in March 2020, leaving behind a community that teemed with anticipation to grow.
As students began to fill our sunny downtown campus once again, I hit the ground running with many—maybe an unrealistic amount—of goals, one being quite simple: to open doors of opportunity.
The Eye changed my life long before I became EIC. As a fun and satire editor and part-time online editor, I jumped at every chance to edit a story. I immediately loved sifting through every piece I could get my hands on—seeking every chance to make it articulate, accurate and impactful. Before I knew it, I was offering insight I didn’t realize I had. With every experience that developed my own understanding of journalism and made an impact on my surrounding community, I fell in love with this place a little bit more.
Little did I know that every twist and turn was a gentle nudge in one particular direction.
Yes, I became a better writer and editor, but more importantly, I was exposed to the power of change. That is what inspired me to even begin considering my wildest dream to date—to become the next EIC. And when this dream became a reality, I knew I had to open others’ eyes to what The Eye could do.
I remember feeling so inspired to meet the incoming students and introduce as many as I could to The Eye. I was determined to lead my team of fresh-faced editors, tell every impactful TMU story and open up as many doors as possible to whoever saw us as a place to get involved. I made countless spreadsheets, Google Drive folders, personal notes and organized documents in preparation to ensure my year ran as a reflection of how I wanted it to be—flawless.
If you had asked me then if I was prepared to tackle the role, I would have brandished my shiny office keys and said I was ready to catch anything The Eye was going to throw at me. Besides, the role description on paper was only about 300 words. How hard could it be?
No amount of spreadsheets was going to properly prepare us for what came next.
With each story and scenario that passed, reality set in. Not every story came out the way I or the section editors envisioned it, nor to the quality I expected. TMU’s public relations and communications team wouldn’t always give us sufficient answers to issues fueled by the university’s lack of transparency with students. The state of Canadian media and TMU’s student community would be ever-developing as the world around us continued to change, slowing for nothing and no one.
Oct. 7, 2024 marked one year since Israel’s siege on Gaza and ongoing genocide against Palestinians. Long before and to this day, TMU students have both organized and joined pro-Palestine demonstrations on campus and throughout downtown Toronto. Student groups have entered university management spaces, joined walkouts, hosted events and done much more to seek solidarity for over 70 years of oppression. Our community has raised their voices to call for change—stretching from Gaza all the way to TMU, even voicing concerns in how we’ve covered their stories.
Amidst the rapid development in our immediate surrounding governments, we got to be a part of the student body’s conversations surrounding their elections, such as the 2024 United States presidential election and Ontario’s snap election in February. Finally, older generations can stop claiming that young people don’t think about politics.
Within TMU’s own spaces, The Eye sought to cover concerning behaviours in the Toronto Metropolitan Students’ Union (TMSU), where distrust between them and TMU students is running more rampant than ever. The institution has long needed to be held accountable for avoiding transparency with students, rejecting opportunities to show integrity and fostering distrust during their general elections.
This year’s executive team took it a step up during this year’s general election. Team Re-Elect, the running slate made up of current executive members of the TMSU, took advantage of their existing power to tip the election scales and ignored election bylaws that should be worth dozens of demerit points—all while dodging calls to take accountability. As of April 8, it’s been 27 days and counting since the voting period closed for this year’s general election, with the results yet to be announced.
The common theme between all these stories and more is that they were reported by students. Since Volume 58 dawned in August, members of our masthead and many contributors have risen to the occasion—taking on responsibilities others wouldn’t dare to touch.
I’ve watched with pride as countless young journalists spent endless days and nights setting aside themselves and their own lives to tell stories only students are willing to. I’ve watched them soak up every learning experience, optimize their abilities and transform into seasoned, honourable journalists.
In a world that’s easy to become discouraged in, witnessing selfless acts of courage, perseverance and integrity from students who are hungry for the truth has reignited a hope in me I feared was fizzling out when initially taking my seat on the EIC chair. It’s a hope and an indisputable reminder that student journalism is still alive, thriving and spreading despite constant attempts to douse and silence student voices.
As I prepare to turn the office lights out one last time, fold my keys into the hands of a new leader and bid goodbye to this crazy place that has given me so many fulfilling lessons and memories, I can rest knowing this adventure will continue. Good student journalism isn’t going anywhere, no matter how many attempts arise to shove it aside or corrupt it with false narratives.
I feel beyond honoured to have been a part of this volume’s story. Though I’d love to crack open an empty document and add a million more words to the EIC’s job description, I know it’s nowhere near feasible to condense this experience into mere writing. I just know I can say now that I’ve done it. Far from perfectly, but I’ve done it—and I couldn’t be prouder.
Thank you to my beloved masthead, who for some reason put their faith in a satire editor to lead them on this adventure of a lifetime. Seriously, what were you thinking?
To anyone who contributed this year, thank you for sharing your many talents with us and for helping us tell TMU’s stories. If you learned anything at all from your time with us, maybe we did a few things right.
As we look past this year’s horizon to the seasons ahead, never forget to be extraordinary. Learn to be great, then become even greater. If you’re told to be quiet, be even louder (theoretically—some of y’all need to learn volume control). Call out those in power and hold them accountable. Don’t be afraid to fuck something up—but if and when you do—try not to let the learning experience pass you by. It’s a lot more fun that way.
I’ve come a long way since almost experiencing death-by-cashew and will leave having given The Eye my absolute all and then some. Though I’m grieving that my time here has come to an end, I can’t wait to see what the rest of you—who are nuts enough to give this place a go—are gearing up to show the world.
I’ll cashew later, TMU. Here’s to embarking on many more life-changing adventures.
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