Letter from the Editors
Dear readers,
Today is an incredibly special day. The first edition of ‘The Common Room’ signifies a multitude of extremely special things: a board that works tirelessly to bring something memorable to the LAS community, the passion project of two friends who have always bonded over their love for journalism (us, the co-editors-in-chief), a whole team of brilliant, talented, funny and creative individuals who have poured their hearts into a new venture, the celebration of an unorthodox but inviting course and the people who choose to study it, and, most importantly, our human need to document the present so it doesn’t drift away into the past as we move towards our future.
The Common Room: That what makes us ‘us’
‘The Common Room’ Newspaper is a distillation of all the weird, unhinged, academic, and scandalous conversations that take place in our very own LAS common Room, a space that is so unique to our course and community. We wanted to bring you just a small dose of all the chaos that ensues within. Through our work we want to share each other’s cultures and traditions as means to foster connection, build bridges, and feel just a little bit less lonely when so many of us are oh-so far away from home. And today is as good a day as any to start!
Dhanteras
In 2023 the 10th of November is celebrated as ‘Dhanteras’, marking the first day of Diwali. Diwali is an Indian festival that celebrates the victory of good over evil and is often known as the festival of lights. Dhanteras is the first day of the festival, and it is said to be an incredibly auspicious day for new beginnings and big purchases. Yes, this is us telling you to go shopping and treat yourself to something nice, but it is also a way we hold onto our varied traditions as we start a new venture where we’ll need all the good luck we can get.
This is just the start
Talking about beginnings, we need you to know that this edition is just the start. We have a myriad of projects that we’re working on and can’t wait to share with you when the time is right. But we do have a special request for you: do this with us. Make The Common Room our common room, tell us what you think of it, join us in making it better, collaborate with us and submit your ideas and work. That is our vision for The Common Room. A paper that the LAS common room can truly call its own.
We hope you enjoy the first edition of a newspaper that will very obviously be one of the greatest of its kind. And even if it is not, we will work on it like it is, and that’s a promise.
With hearts full of gratitude and love,
Angel & Simon.
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