Dec 17th, 2018, 09:30 PM

Au Revoir to the Word of the Week

By Alayna Amrein
Image Credit: Peacock Plume
Farewell, old friend. You will be missed on the homepage.

The Peacock Plume's website has undergone a few changes a few weeks ago, most notably, the rebooted homepage. Now, in addition to Plume's side-bar display, there's a list that allows readers to see all the most recent articles, and when they were published. While this is an excellent feature that makes finding the latest news more user-friendly and eliminates biased display based on author, category, and popularity, it does mean we must say goodbye to one of the most iconic traditions on Peacock Plume, the 'Word of the Week.'

Choosing the word of the week was originally the job of the Editor in Chief and was used as a way to present "the news and the various cultures we have at AUP," says student-journalist and Deputy Editor of the Peacock Plume, Fernanda Sapiña. "It provided a refreshing and inclusive perspective into what the Plume is," she continued.

The column, previously in Sapiña's control, took on an interesting perspective. Under her management, the column gained an informatively satirical reputation. It became identified as an integral part of the online publication that recognized, not only the current social and political events around the globe, but also the humor, irony, or inspiration that could found in them. She used this forum as a space to share opinions on current events. One of the most recent being her post on the Finnish word "havara", meaning "rake" in reference to Donald Trump's assertion that the cause of the October California wildfires was due to residents failing to rake their fallen leaves.



Image Credit: Peacock Plume

Sapiña's personal favorite Word of the Week was the word "aisghairm", meaning "to repeal." She used this word to highlight the victory that Ireland experienced in March 2018 regarding women's rights, specifically the legalization of abortion in the predominantly Catholic country. "It had a lot of significance for me because it brought the past and the present together and demonstrated that we can progress while still keeping tradition," she commented



Image Credit: Peacock Plume

Being in charge of the word column gave Sapiña the unique experience to grow to understand a multitude of languages and their significance. Additionally, tying the Word of the Week to current world events made Sapiña even more "news savvy", as she puts it. "I really had to go over every single article I thought was relevant to the Word of the Week in order to be precise," she says.  She also believes that it deepened her understanding of current events. 

When asked about the Peacock Plume's update, Sapiña commented, "For now, [the Word of the Week] is gone so that people can actually read what has been most recently published, instead of having to dig through the website. Even though it is gone, for now, keep your eyes peeled because it will be making a comeback!"

Do you miss the Word of the Week as much as we do? Perhaps with the next update will come a section dedicated to filling all of your sarcastic, humoristic, inquisitive, vocabularic needs.