Photo by Thai Sirikoone/The Griff

To my surprise… some students apparently don’t care about the Griff.

To hear that a MacEwan student representative candidate wants to take action to reduce funding for the Griff and turn it into a fully digital magazine was disheartening to say the least.

As someone who’s always been the “art kid” and has centred my creative success over everything else, it’s always a shock to me that my peers don’t hold art and creativity to the same regard. In hindsight, it makes sense. Why would a finance student really care about art? Or care as much as I do, at least. But it makes me wonder whether the lack of regard stems from simple disinterest or from the times we live in. 

In the great 2026, anything that can be put on a screen, “enhanced” with AI, or turned into a QR code has been. But why does art need to succumb to this ever-growing pressure to modernize? There’s no denying that the digital medium has expanded the possibilities of visual art. It’s a powerful tool, but even after decades of use and debate, it has never replaced physical art, nor was it ever intended to. 

I understand the argument for fully digitizing. It reduces paper use, makes financing the magazine more affordable, and could seem more palatable to the broader student body. I understand those reasons. But my counterargument is that an online Griff wouldn’t be as interesting. 

As an average MacEwan student, my only encounter with the Griff has been through the magazine stands. I have never intentionally or unintentionally engaged with the website. Despite it just being a click away, the magazine stands have always just seemed more convenient, because they’re always there, just around every corner.

What stung the most was that when asked about alternatives, the candidate suggested replacing the Griff magazine stands with QR codes.

Really? If you believe MacEwan students weren’t already interacting with the magazine, they sure as hell won’t stop in busy Building 6 traffic to scan a QR code. This is not how art is meant to be seen, and the Griff magazine features impressive covers, photography, poems, articles, designs, and illustrations that deserve to be seen.

Physical media allows people to be intentional about what they consume, and it offers variety in the way we young adults view media. Physical media also helps to form a deeper connection to a piece as we share a physical space with it. That’s why I remember trips to a gallery, reading childhood books, or going to a concert. Physical media creates memories as engaging with it becomes an experience. This cannot be said for endless scrolling.

So let art be tangible, let physical media exist, let students stop a while and pick up something other than their phone. Let people hold the physical manifestation of a talented group of students’ work and appreciate it, even if it’s for a fleeting moment. Could you imagine if the many masterful paintings, artworks, and posters hung on our campus walls were just taped-up pieces of paper with a QR code?

We should advocate for the Griff to remain on both physical and digital platforms, as it is the most accessible option. At the same time, the Griff should remain mindful of its spending and resource use, as I understand these concerns were central to the original argument.

In my two years here, I haven’t contributed much to the university and haven’t given much thought to the student election until my final semester. So let this represent that regular students still have a voice and actually care about their campus. Let it also represent that people still appreciate physical media. Physical media can and should continue to have a place on this modern campus.
The Griff is essential to MacEwan campus life, so let’s keep the Griff on campus.