Hot off of recent news that the Beacon will be discontinued, SAG has decided to use the publication’s old issues in place of the costly wood logs that have, to this point, been provided for students using the on-campus bonfire pit.
The exchange comes as the latest of the group’s conservation initiatives. “By switching to paper, I think we’ll be able to save a lot of trees next semester,” said SAG vice president Gus Martia.
But that may be only one of a few advantages to come from substituting materials. As psychology student Kylie Vander Flop noted, the prospect of burning others’ opinion-based articles might give some students a warm internal sensation.
“Everybody has had that one article that just really irked them when it was published,” said Vander Flop. “For me, it was one that said that there’s no such thing as hell. That idea was just tormenting to read.”
In addition to providing a cozy relief from the cold, the fire pit now provides a place where students can find relief from concepts they disagree with. In promotion of this new service, the former Beacon editors will redirect their efforts toward archiving articles according to their offenses.
“Whether you’re looking to scorch left-wing plugs, male-dominated views, or a negative review of the new Taylor Swift album, we’ve probably got 500 words for you,” said Beacon co-editor Andy LoveMe. “The school newspaper’s been around since long before the civil rights movement.”
This leads to another positive in the recent decision: the Beacon editors’ renewed sense of purpose.
“We’ve found a way to make even our least successful and most hated work into something that benefits those around us,” said LoveMe. “We used to put a lot of papers in the recycling bin. Now we’re helping people realize that there was something useful in each issue.”
So grab some marshmallows and a lighter. You have the rest in your hand.