Well, we did it everyone! Another academic year down, and varying more to go for those still on their academic journey. It feels as if this one was a rollercoaster of caffeine and deadlines for some, and a blur of late-night study sessions and early morning classes for others. As the Editor-in-Chief of this newspaper alongside Jacqueline, I've seen firsthand the power of giving people a platform. The Conglomerate has worked to provide a space for diverse voices, to share stories that matter, and to shine a light on issues within our campus community. . .

How does one celebrate Valentine’s without a love interest or an interest in love? Each year, February 14th approaches and passes with little fanfare. Well, that might not actually be true for most people, but it is for me . . .

 Where do you get your news? If you’re like me, you see the news on Instagram, you go look for commentary on Twitter, and then you go to TikTok to get the breakdown. If you rely on social media to receive the majority of news, you might also run into political campaigns’ new favorite tactics: memes . . .

The oldest (maybe) question that college students ask themselves is “Why should I get involved anyway?” It is so easy for us in our first years of college to succumb to the allure of a little extra free time, a few more hours of sleep, or the peace and quiet of staying in our dorms. Meetings, practices, assignments, and responsibilities all haunt the average college student’s day to day and it can be hard to keep all of these things afloat while also expressing yourself, exploring your passions, and advocating for causes you care about. To this, dear reader, I have a solution: student journalism . . .

I didn’t have the same primary school experience that most of my peers had. I didn’t enjoy playful recesses. I didn’t play pretend on the monkey bars or chase my friends across the school grounds . . .

Do you have trouble trying to get the attention of that special someone? Or are you unable to find the right words to break up with someone who’s not right for you? You could break up with them and find the next person the same night! But I would recommend delivering the ones you use in person. These pickup lines are sure to up your rizz, and the break up lines are sure to have them never bother you again.

Dear Houla,

Is suffering a necessary aspect of life?

From,

Lovebug

Dear Houla,

It’s my last semester at centenary and I’m creating a bucket list of things to do before I graduate. Any suggestions?

From,

Anonymous

Dear Houla,

How do I know if it’s time to switch advisors? My current advisor isn’t doing a great job of giving advice, or even getting my schedule done. However, anytime I (politely) voice a concern, I get told that that’s just “how College is.” Am I overreacting? Should I suck it up or look for someone new . . .

EB’s Ups and Downs for the first two weeks of the semester.

After months of tedious analysis, study, and divine visions revealed to editor Kari Johnson, Conglomerate predicts that the utter annihilation of the world will mark the beginning of the new millennium. At best, the paper's editorial staff feels that humankind might last until January 2 . . .

We recently held a caf deck event where readers could write down their winter wishes and pick up our latest stickers. Thank you to everyone who came out! We hope all of our winter wishes come true! Without further ado, here are the winter wishes . . .

Alright, so you’ve done it. You, the mighty writer, have finished a poem. The line breaks are just right, the imagery is descriptive and detailed, and the piece came out exactly as you imagined. As the feelings of triumph and success wash over you, you realize you missed one crucial step: your poem has no title. While many writers believe the title is the least important part, the title is what ties everything together and indicates what the piece is about to the audience. However, it can also be the most challenging part of the writing process . . .

Writing is, at times, a very difficult thing to do. Writing poetry—especially when you’re trying to emulate a specific mood, idea, or experience—can be exceptionally difficult. It is hard to find the right words, get into the right headspace, or even just begin. Well, fear not, aspiring poets; if “study vibez” playlists on Youtube and Spotify have proven anything, it’s that music can be a powerful source of both motivation and inspiration. After all, what is music if not the poetry of sound! Skeptical of my claims? Unsure where to begin? Feeling intimidated by it all? Look no further as we take the next few minutes to discuss the merits of listening to music while writing and how it might affect your poetry . . .

Congratulations on your poem! Take a moment to appreciate your hard work so far; this is vital for our next steps of self-critique. We're halfway there, and now it's time to dig into what we can do together to improve the piece. Whether this poem is going to your publisher or your school's biannual art magazine, its refinement is important. Any level of artist needs to establish effective critiquing methods; they can solidify your ideas and pull you just as much as the reader into the poem’s world . . .