Dear readers,
"The Tower of Campus Thought and Action."
Before Coach K ruled Cameron, back when "Old Duke" still reigned supreme, those were the words that ran on the Chronicle flag.
A lot has changed since those days.
Our office looks much less like a "tower" and much more like an "attic" in West Campus' Flowers Building (we sprung a leak last week).
The Chronicle shrank to tabloid size, became a daily and, perhaps most important of all, added Sudoku (turn to page 37 of the Send Home).
The flag has changed, editors have come and gone, but our mission remains the same.
In the months after I was elected editor of the 102nd volume of The Chronicle, a number of people asked me what big changes were in store for paper this year. Well, there are a number of things we've been working on, and I'll talk about those in a second.
But when all is said and done, "big changes" in a newspaper aren't worth anything unless they help to spark discussion, thought and action--that is our mission.
Hold us to it.
This year, we are committed to providing the Duke community with well-reported, well-written and well-presented news.
In the words of former Chronicle editor Matt Sclafani "journalism is perhaps the only profession where you receive more criticism for doing a better job."
This is your paper, and we want to hear from you.
So, what's in store for The Chronicle this year?
Glad you asked.
Well, it begins with the Send Home Issue that you're holding (or looking at online) right now. On our news pages, you'll find a balance of hard news about the future of tailgate, news perspective on the evolution of the lacrosse case in the media and a story about Durham's gang problem.
For breaking coverage, I encourage you to check out www.dukechronicle.com, which we've been updating throughout the summer.
Check out Sportswrap and get The Chronicle's exclusive coverage on what life's been like for unindicted members of the men's lacrosse team. During the year, check out the sports section for in-depth reporting, game stories, columns and features on your favorite teams and players.
Read recess, The Chronicle's weekly arts and entertainment section, and learn about Tennessee's mega-music festival Bonnaroo while also getting some tips on how to save a buck while touring NYC or D.C. this summer.
Take a look at Towerview, The Chronicle's monthly news perspective magazine, and get all the background on the past, present and future of Tailgate (with a capital "T"). Also, check out the top 10 things you should keep an eye on in the year ahead.
When daily production starts Aug. 28, I am excited to say The Chronicle will launch an independent editorial board.
For the first time in the 102-year history of The Chronicle, our editorial board will not be composed entirely of the paper's top editors.
Instead, three editors will join a number of the top thinkers on campus. The paper's new editorial board members have been charged with keeping abreast with what's going on at Duke, in Durham and around the world, forming opinions, debating issues and writing editorials on the news that most directly affects you.
Read a full explanation of the new editorial board from the Editorial editor.
We hope this will allow The Chronicle to truly represent the voice of its readership.
So welcome to the Send Home Issue, stay a little while.
And welcome to The Chronicle's 102nd volume--we expect great things this year, and aim to put out stories that push you to thought and action every day.
Hold us to it.
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