Letter from the Editors

When deciding upon the theme “Stranger” for the theme of issue, we were excited to see the thought-provoking articles that the Carleton student body could produce. We anticipated stories regarding the strangers we encounter from ones on the street or within ourselves. We even expected some stories that were just strange. As a result, this issue includes articles about the kindness (and cruelties) of strangers, the use of art to document the changes in New Orleans religious communities, and even an insider's look at the dreaded college admissions interview.

Also in this issue, you’ll find an in-depth article spearheaded by The Lens investigations team. Under the guidance of Alex Gibson ’10, the piece explores the complicated roles that language assistants (LAs) play at Carleton. By looking through the perspective of the LAs, the article comments on how we as students compartmentalize our social and academic lives and create strangers within our extremely immersive community.

The Lens is also pleased to announce that is recently was awarded the Gold Medalist ranking from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association with a score of 995/1000 points. We are honored to have received such a high rating and believe that it reflects the dedication of The Lens' staff.

We hope that you enjoy this issue of “Stranger.” As always, we would love to hear your thoughts and comments on this issue. Letters can be sent to this e-mail address. The Lens team is currently hard at work putting together our next issue, "Vision," for publication in Spring/Summer 2010.