By Mac Weekly Staff

It’s our last issue of a year that has been full of big news, but we want to take a moment to commend our opinion contributors this year. We began the year asking for more contributions, and did we ever get them. Having opinion sections filled with well thought-out pieces from different perspectives added a lot to our understanding of Macalester. These dialogs in particular stood out to us: Students of color: Maya Suzuki Daniels ’12 and Clara Younge ’12 have had a thoughtful conversation on how their differing experiences as multiracial women have led to different relationships with the term “person of color.” It’s a valuable reminder of how no one’s view can be essentialized, and how, in engaging with issues of identity, we can’t forget individual experience. Israel-Palestine: Members of J-Street U and Mac SUPER were frequent contributors to the section this year in response to Israeli Apartheid Week. Since people on differing sides often talk past one another in this conflict, it was refreshing to see honest evaluations of the other sides’ arguments and a careful consideration of the meaning and impact of critical terms such as apartheid in a serious-minded way. Russian Studies Stays: The largest academic debate year played itself out in the opinion pages, with passionate defenses of the department from both students and faculty, bringing what could have been an internal and administrative process out into the spotlight. Economic and social justice: Students from various points on the political spectrum wrote about their conception of a just society, on issues from the foreclosure crisis to minimum wage. Part of what college is about is articulating your values, and whether they advocated for abolishing the minimum wage or strengthening union rights, Mac students showed they had put in some serious thought. MN marriage amendment: One of the staff editorials we’re proudest of is our call to vote no on the MN marriage amendment this November, and this week’s piece by Adrienne Christiansen made a compelling case for involvement on personal and institutional levels. Thanks for the great year Macalester. refresh –>