As it enters its one-hundred-and-forty-third year, the Campus Times will undergo a series of changes that, I hope, reflect the predominant trends in modern media. As one of the oldest student organizations on campus, the CT boasts tremendous staying power—and we intend to keep the stone rolling through this year and into the next.
The CT will have a new online look within a week. Started under the previous editorial staff, the next iteration of our website is easier to navigate, contains more user-friendly archives of past issues and articles, is mobile compatible, and mirrors the best aspects of other newspapers’ virtual spaces. Much overdue, writers will now be clearly connected with their articles. And, candidly—and perhaps most importantly—it isn’t an eyesore.
Readers should also expect both substantive and cosmetic changes to the print version of the paper. Our front page will contain the best and most interesting stories of the week—from any section, not just News. We’ve moved UR Opinion—informally, “UR Ops”—back to our Opinions section. One columnist has moved on to a greener pasture (as our Opinions editor), while another has joined us in Arts & Entertainment.
While our print publication schedule will not change, we hope to increase our online presence by publishing articles as soon as they are written, not just after they appear in print. A rolling online publication schedule for weeklies is nothing new—neither for the CT, nor other modern newspapers—but we will increase the activity on our website and our Facebook and Twitter accounts. Snapchat and Instagram accounts may make their debut later this year.
Of interest to grammarians is our boldest change to the CT Style Guide: In a deliberate slight to the Associated Press Stylebook, we’ve brought back the Oxford (serial) comma.
Interested writers, photographers, and illustrators are invited to join us at our open budget meetings, previously closed. While little compares to the excitement and tumult of a weekly newspaper’s production night, we believe that the discussion of our upcoming issue that occurs at budget meetings will be of more interest to (and less overwhelming for) new people.
The editorial staff for the 2016 calendar year are, as always, the force that keeps the CT running. We are a relatively new staff: out of 19 editors and interim editors, 10 are sophomores or freshmen, and nine have never served on the editorial staff before. But my confidence in this group far exceeds any concerns about their newness. Already, this staff’s work has been a tour de force, and I believe they share my enthusiasm for this new year.
Of course, none of this is possible—or makes any sense—without readers. We invite your criticism, your kudos, and your comments. While our primary mission is to deliver timely and relevant reporting to the UR community, we like to know which delivery methods work, and which don’t.
With change comes growing pain, but nonetheless, the CT is poised for a watershed year. With a top-notch staff and blueprints for 2016, we have every reason to be excited—and you should be, too.
