A Skyline Year in Review of 2022
Photo by Alyn Covington
By Joh Covington, Skyline Desk Chief
SUL ROSS - The dawn of ’23 is fresh, but many are still recovering from ’22 whiplash. The past few years have given an entirely new meaning to the phrase “roaring ‘20s.”
James Lindsay, a contributor to the Council on Foreign Relations, wrote that “Future historians may come to regard 2022 as a hinge in history, marking the end of one era and the beginning of another.”
Here’s (some of) what happened at Sul Ross:
The seemingly never-ending construction on the front parking lot ended.
Sul Ross welcomed a new university vice president and provost, Bernie Cantens. Simultaneously, previous university president, Pete Gallego announced his impending departure.
The current president, Carlos Hernandez, had served for five months as interim before being appointed more permanently.
There was a jump in crime on campus in September. The students that live in the dorms have cracked down on locking their doors after accounts of repeated trespassing and an alleged sexual assault were reported.
Governor hopeful Beto O’Roarke visited Alpine, but incumbent Greg Abbott still won a third term with 54.81% of votes.
At the Skyline there were some changes as well. Brooke Manuel was promoted to editor and the team has been working on building a new online home for the newspaper. The Skyline crew cannot wait for you all to see it. The newspaper will also be offering advertising, connecting campus to local businesses. Joh Covington, the previous editor will be continuing at the paper as the desk-chief and is very excited to help Manuel bring the news source into its next growing phase.
Here’s (some of) what happened in the world:
COVID restrictions eased. Though it's difficult to tell which came first, the restrictions easing by decree of the Center for Disease Control and many governments, or a retreat by the deadly virus and the resulting "return to normal life" for many individuals. From late 2019, a day rarely went by without a headlined death toll and commentary on the developing treatments, and 2022 was no exception.
The United Kingdom lost its longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, and the world watched as the value of the British pound plummeted. The Royal family and the country’s government have been plagued with scandal and attention from the media and Hollywood.
The world’s preexisting refugee crisis was pushed beyond measure with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The war altered the worldview for many young people, none of whom had experienced a grinding land-war in western Europe. To them, the invasion almost seemed like an event from a bygone era.
The Iranian powers-that-be have seen the largest challenge since they seized power through the revolution in the 1970s. The Islamic Republic of Iran, an Islamic theocracy, has been publicly killing protesters in the streets, particularly those like 22-year-old Mahsa Amini who dared to defy repressive rules dictating dress and demeanor that are enforced by the 'morality police.' Amini was taken into custody for not covering her hair by the morality police and subsequently died in custody.
Overall, there is rarely anything that can surprise anyone watching the news these days. Anybody could say that the most outlandish thing had happened, and no one would bat an eye.