First and foremost, thank you. If this is your first time picking up Pipe Dream, thanks for joining us, and welcome to Binghamton. If this is your hundredth time picking up Pipe Dream, thanks for sticking around, and we hope you’ll stay awhile. Even if you just wanted to do the crossword or see your photo in Weekend Warriors, this is your newspaper, and we’re glad you’re here. Welcome to a new year of Pipe Dream.
Binghamton University has changed a lot over the course of my time here, and Pipe Dream has changed, too. But our mission remains the same — to give you an accurate, objective view of what’s happening on campus and in the surrounding communities, and to tell as many of your stories as we possibly can.
But, of course, this goal is impossible to accomplish without your help. There are over 17,000 students on this campus, and with the University’s plan to expand to 20,000 by 2020, we’ll need more help than ever. Your stories are important and we want to tell them, and we want you to hold us accountable if you feel like we’re not doing so.
It’s more important now than ever before to meet our goal, but we do recognize our shortcomings, and we’re working hard to adapt. We’re trying to adjust to the new ways that people — specifically college students — get their information. So this year, you can expect to see more online features, diverse multimedia content and more contributions directly from students on campus. If you see something you find interesting and you want to respond, we encourage you to submit columns and letters to the editor, or stop by our office in University Union West Room B03 to talk. Engagement is everything, and we want to make sure you feel comfortable collaborating with us.
Pipe Dream is always trying to become a better newspaper — to continue doing some of the things that have always worked, and to change the things that haven’t. But above all, we understand that telling the truth and holding people accountable are of the utmost importance. So no matter what this academic year throws our way, we’ll be here to report and respond in the best way we can.
We’re excited for what this year will bring, and we’ll be ready to listen.
Emily Kaufman is a senior majoring in English.