If there's anything we want you to know, it's this:
Our e-mail is edboard@thedepauw.com and our phone number is (765) 659-5973. This semester, we want our inboxes to be full and the phone ringing off the hook.
Our number one priority is to be accessible. The DePauw is a media platform that strives to express the events that occur around campus and the views of the people in the community. Fostering this mission is how we are going to create constructive conversation at DePauw.
Many DePauw students - the editorial board included - love this campus and community like we would a significant other. We can't stop gushing about it with our friends, we can't wait to return to it after time apart, and we would never wish it harm. Most importantly, we live with our decision day in and day out to keep a connection with this institution.
That's why it is important for us to speak up about issues that affect our four years at this school. We don't just take classes here, we live here. And the experiences we have during college will play a part in our futures.
One of the most humbling qualities of DePauw is trust. We trust the administration to spend our tuition dollars properly, we trust student government to hold our best interests at heart, and we trust our professors to teach us material that will prepare us for our careers.
Trust is the most crucial factor in any relationship. If something were bothering you with a friend, family member or romantic partner, would you expect the problem to be fixed without communication? We certainly wouldn't.
We report stories that affect students lives because they have a right (and responsibility) to be informed. We write editorials calling for specific action because we want to leave DePauw even better than we found it. We publish issues that students should care about, whether they place the university in a positive or negative light.
Sometimes, we will say what others don't have the courage to say. It may not be fun to read and others may disagree, but it's more productive than avoiding things that are hard to talk about. There is nothing to be gained from ignoring the ways in which we can improve our community.
We ask that you place your trust in us the same way that you do all organizations on campus. Know that our work is in service for the betterment of this university - your home.
So, please - write letters to the editor, send corrections, post on The DePauw's Facebook wall, tweet @TheDePauw, tell us what stories you would like to read in the paper.
We look forward to hearing from you.