Dear Readers,

As the Whitman community welcomes new faces to campus, in the form of Jan-starts, professors returning from sabbatical, and students, like myself, who are returning from semesters abroad, so too does The Pioneer welcome new faces to our staff. As we transition into both a new semester and calendar year, we also transition into a new period of Pio leadership.

After returning from our separate adventures abroad, junior Derek Thurber and I are excited to step into our new roles as Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, respectively. Our brief hiatus from The Pioneer re-energized our passion for providing the Whitman community with high-quality journalism. We are excited to bring new vision, ideas, and enthusiasm to The Pioneer.

As we step into our new roles, the success of the paper depends on you, our readers. As someone who has spent so much time in The Pioneer office, it can be all too easy to become disconnected from the world outside the office doors; too often we lose touch with the community we are writing about. That is why we are asking for readers’ input. We depend on our readers to keep us grounded, ensuring that we report on the issues and events that are important to the Whitman community.

Our hope is that our readers view The Pioneer as an outlet to share their ideas, opinions, and unique perspectives with the rest of the Whitman community. This desire is reflected in our slogan: “Whitman news, delivered.”

We will release a readership survey within the next week, in order to gauge what aspects of the paper are well received and what changes readers would like to see made. This survey will provide you with the opportunity to offer suggestions as to how The Pioneer can better serve the interests and needs of its readers.

In line with our goal of expanding communication with The Pioneer staff and readers, Derek and I will hold weekly office hours. For any editorial-related issues, come visit me on Mondays from 3:30-5:00 p.m. Business-related issues can be directed to Derek, whose office hours are Tuesday and Thursday from 2:00-3:30 p.m.

We encourage you to submit Letters to the Editor to [email protected] or directly through our Web site at http://whitmanpioneer.com/contact/. Not only do we want to hear your opinion about the content we publish, Letters to the Editor also have the capacity to open campus dialogue about issues of importance.

As Derek and I embark upon our new roles as Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, it is our goal that under our leadership The Pioneer will be a trusted news outlet and relevant source of information, and that new faces, viewpoints, and experiences will enter the pages of the paper.

Until next time,

Molly