Pioneers, it has been an intense several months since we have last seen each other on campus.

Between a global pandemic that has altered life as we know it and a protest movement, the likes of which has not been seen since the 1960s, we are constantly dealing in extraordinary circumstances. And those are only the main two current events that have captivated national attention. 

Despite a myriad of different ongoing issues, 2020 seems to revolve around similar buzzwords: division, anger, isolation, loneliness, frustration, exhaustion. These words do indeed encapsulate the “unprecedented times” we have found ourselves in. 

But if those words embody our situations and our reactions to said situations, it fails to touch on the one lesson we have learned from it all: the immense weight of responsibility. 

Because we wear masks and separate ourselves to protect ourselves, our families, even the strangers we come to pass on any given day. We protest and call for equity and justice for Black people whose pain and suffering under an oppressive system has long been ignored. We bring awareness to a campus culture of sexual assaults and harassment on social media to better Point Park for future students. 

While advocating for these causes and so many others does ultimately help everyone, we do it for the betterment of others. We do it because there has been a call to action, and we want to answer it. Yes, it is exhausting and can, at times, lead to frustration, anger, division and even loneliness. But there is every chance that the decisions we make will lead to a better reality than the one we are living in in 2020. 

This isn’t to say, of course, that breaks shouldn’t be taken, Pioneers. Your mental and physical health are most important to take care of, so when you need to destress, we highly encourage you to do so. But we owe it to ourselves and those around us to act responsibly, call for accountability and prioritize empathy above all else. 

It is the only way forward.