Lyssa BeyerIn a changing world, technology has allowed us to be in constant communication with each other. We have instant access to anyone through e-mails, text messaging and phone calls.
I embrace this change and partake in the new gadgets as much as anyone. I check my e-mail religiously and I love having my cell phone in service at all times – for text messaging and phone calls. But have we lost something in all of this? Why meet with someone in an office when you can just send him or her an e-mail? Why attend a meeting when you can watch it on television?
Certainly these things are easier and they make communication more convenient. But they leave out the face-to-face communication that is so vital to relationships. At The Spectator this semester, our goal is to become more involved in the campus than in the past. We want to strengthen our relationships in the community using more personal means of communication.
There is an ongoing cycle at this newspaper, just as there is in any student organization on any campus. Every year we lose a portion of our staff to graduation or change of heart. This can often times leave younger students reporting on issues they are less familiar with than their predecessors. But by getting out on campus, seeing the community members and sources face-to-face, we can bridge this gap.
So to begin this semester, The Spectator is setting up meetings with the people who are influential on your campus, in your education and most importantly, on your future. It is important that your student newspaper is keeping a close eye on campus events and policy so we can empower you in the process.
At the same time, it is important that you know The Spectator is always interested in your concerns. The door to our office is almost always open and we welcome any concerns you have – about your campus, about your community, and about us, your student newspaper. There are 23 people on this staff, and more than 10,000 in the university. We depend on you for news tips and information. If you have ideas, we would love to hear them and investigate further.
There are some things we are very excited about at The Spectator this semester. While working toward empowering you on campus, we also want to empower you on a national setting. For those of you who have been paying attention, you know that the presidential primaries and caucuses are getting interesting. When the campaign hits Wisconsin on Feb. 19, both races could still be up in the air.
As the primary news source for UW-Eau Claire students, we have a responsibility to educate our readers on the candidates and their stances. Obviously, we don’t have the resources to cover the trail ourselves. Luckily, we added a Nation/World page last year and we have a wire service which will allow us to give our readers vital information on the candidates as they head toward Wisconsin in a few weeks. We never had a chance to utilize this service in such an important way in past semesters and needless to say, we are excited about it.
We will also be making some important changes to the design of our product – both in print and online. Keep your eye open for a new Web site design this semester. We also ask for your patience as we will be implementing a new design program to our print product. We may hit some bumps during this process, but the upgrade will improve the quality of the paper. While our content is always the most important aspect of the paper, its presentation gives the words credibility. And in a broader sense, it gives credibility to the university. I often pick up student publications on other campuses and make judgments on that school’s education. It is my hope that The Spectator reflects the quality of this university. We look forward to serving your needs to the best of our ability.
Enjoy!
Halter is a senior print journalism major and editor in chief of The Spectator.
