It’s a new semester, and while most of you were trying to enjoy every last minute of your break, we’ve spent at least the last few days implementing new ways to make this a better paper for you, the reader. There are a lot of things that I envision this newspaper will provide for its readers, and as I’ve said before, I have no doubt that this staff can bring them to you — on a daily basis. There are a few important buzz words that come to mind.

Credibility

You hear the word from time to time, but it holds a different kind of meaning for a newspaper editor. Credibility is the amount of trust you have in us and the paper. It’s the amount of times you pick up the newspaper and learn something new and the details are clearly laid out in front of you. It’s how diligent we are about correcting information when we find out it’s inaccurate, whether it’s a fault of our own or that of a source. But most of all, credibility is the amount of accurate, ethical, in-depth coverage we provide you of the issues that affect you on a daily basis and how dependent you, the reader, are on the Technician — in print or on the web. You, as the reader, are our biggest asset and I encourage you to contact us at any time when you think we’ve missed something or if you’ve seen something that you liked and want to see more of.

Diversity

This is another word that means something different to a newspaper editor than it might to other people. Diversity doesn’t necessarily mean a staff composed of different races or religions but a staff that is composed of different ideas, experiences and beliefs. Diversity means being able to reach out to the entire campus community and cover stories that affect a variety of different people, groups and colleges. Diversity is covering the issues that are hidden yet important as well as the issues that are more prevalent. So, we encourage you to join the staff whether it’s to write news, viewpoint, features, sports, or to design, copy edit or take photos. Come share your thoughts and expertise with the campus community. I guarantee you’ll meet a lot of great people and gain a lot from the experience. And if you’re worried that you’ve never done any of this before –don’t be. We have some great senior staff members who are ready to help train you. But even if you don’t have time for that, make sure to give us input on what you want to see and read. We wouldn’t exist without you.

Accountability

You always hear that newspapers try to be the watchdog of government. But we want to do more than that. We want to hold your officials and student leaders accountable because you have just as much of a say in this University as anyone else. You pay tuition and student fees and deserve to know what your money is being spent on and how it will help serve you whether it’s with Athletics, Student Government or University-wide campaigns. We want you to know the ins and outs of this University, so we can all make it better. And in that same spirit, we want you to keep us accountable. I can’t stress enough how important your feedback is to us, the good and the bad.

There are a lot of internal changes we’re making to our production. Every section’s editors are working to bring you the best content, both online and in print. We may have some glitches here and there — we are full time students after all — but your input and participation is so important to us. You, the readers, are the people we want to serve.