Hedy Gutfreund Co Editor in Chief  Mr. Fript asks me pretty consistently why I didn’t get up at gathering to make an announcement that the new issue of this thing you’re reading is online every time we have a new issue. Unless I make some other excuse when he asks me, the real answer is probably always that I didn’t plan far enough in advance to get a reservation at gathering to make an announcement.   “It’s harder to get a reservation at gathering than it is at Alinea,” observes senior Anthea Fisher. I remember the good old days when all it took to make an announcement was to grab a seat on stage. Of course, this wasn’t something I did very often as a sophomore, but it was nice to know that if I wanted to make an announcement, I could. Now, it’s much more complicated. I have to contact Sam Cohen or Ms. Hennessy a long time in advance. While I couldn’t imagine two more approachable, friendly people to ask, by the time I remember to contact them, we either don’t have announcements the day I need to make an announcement, or it’s already filled up.   Look, I get it. Gathering always ran late last year, and it hardly does now. Gatherings were jam-packed with repetitive sports announcements and Wilson Brehmer looking for his glasses again, and I see where we went wrong. But at the same time, there’s something missing in our new gatherings. The old gatherings showed off Latin and our craziness. Sure, showcasing student talent would show off our community, but it’s not the same as the day-to-day personalities of people who make announcements. Especially when people don’t sign up to make speeches or show their talents. Su Kim’s speech was incredible, but it stands alone – we haven’t had any other senior speeches.   The good news is that Sam Cohen and the rest of the communications team definitely hear our concerns. Next semester, the plan is to have the first gathering of the week be open to anyone for announcements (just get up on the stage and make one) and the rest will be planned out gatherings. I can see this getting a little chaotic, but at least that will give everyone a chance to make the announcements they want to make.   Hand in hand with this has to come the use of the Roman Gov Facebook and Twitter pages, though. In an ideal world, that would be the best way to get communications across. Announcements are often timely, and expressing these through social media is the best way to go sometimes. Hey, maybe the Forum could even be a way to get your message across. (Does that count as a self-promotion? If you’re reading this, you’re already on the Forum. Oh well.)   The bottom line is that our complaints are not left unheard. Things will change next semester – there’s no need to revolt against student government. Maybe gatherings won’t go back to the beautiful chaos (okay, I exaggerate…) that they were in the past, but maybe that’s a good thing (especially for all our post-gathering classes). For now, good luck getting a reservation to make an announcement. Until then, I’ll see you all on the Roman Gov pages.]]>