This is our ninth issue of the year, and while we’ve passed our halfway mark of the semester and of publication, now is a better time than any to reflect on the work we’ve done so far this semester. This period has been a time of tremendous growth and learning. While we’ve hired many returning staff, we’ve also hired a large group of eager first-years to fill positions as reporters, columnists, photographers, illustrators, production and advertising associates. Although this is my seventh semester working for The Pioneer, I still have a lot to learn with my position. During my short time as editor-in-chief, I hope to do a lot of things that maintain the high-quality standards that have been set by editors-in-chief before me, while also forging new avenues.

Like many editors before me, I hope to expand and improve our coverage, and I can confidently say that each subsequent issue that we publish is stronger than the last. But I don’t want to get ahead of myself. The Pio, like every college paper, is only as good as the work its students put into it. In my eyes, there is always something that we can improve upon to make the paper better, and there will always be an occasional error. The question, however, is how we will use moments of frustration and errors of judgement to learn and grow.

Thankfully, the work of editors before me has given me the luxury of saying that the paper provokes valuable discussion around campus, and just two weeks ago The Pioneer was awarded a national Online Pacemaker Award for our website. In short, we’re already doing great, but there is still much learning and work to be done.

As a college newspaper, The Pioneer‘s growth and success has always depended on hearing from the campus community. In order for us to best grow and learn, we want to know how we can best be your newspaper. Let us know if there’s something you want to see from us. If you have a complaint, criticism or suggestion, write a comment on our website or send us an email at [email protected].

All the best,

Shelly Le
Editor-in-Chief