By: RYAN LOHMAN
Editor in Chief
Some of you may have noticed the absence of a new Preface last Wednesday. The devoted readers among you, no doubt, noticed the absence of a new issue the week before that. In fact, this issue you now hold in your hands represents the first paper The Preface has printed in four weeks. I write to you today to tell you why.
The Preface, IU South Bend’s official student newspaper, ran into some trouble with its budget this spring, leading, eventually, to a complete cessation of operation starting on March 2.
I will spare you the gory details, but needless to say, it was a devastating prospect for the staff of The Preface, which, by the way, comprises only students of this university, your peers.
But it should now be obvious to you who now read this article that the issue has been resolved, and that gets me to my point.
The process that The Preface had to endure to get back to normal was tedious, but its staff found nothing but support and goodwill from those it approached for help along the way. And those people were mostly students.
That’s right. The student newspaper found support among its readers and its peers, and for that we say, “thank you.”
One way students voice their opinions is through those they choose to represent them. On this campus, the Student Government Association (SGA) allocates the money from the student activity fund into which we all pay. And the students in SGA are elected by their peers.
The student activity fee funds the student newspaper each year, but this year, when that money did not meet the costs of operations, SGA worked with The Preface to come up with a solution.
Other student readers expressed concern and appreciation for The Preface, too, when they found out about the break in operations. Many staff and faculty members offered guidance and advice. It was, in the end, a positive experience, perhaps an otherwise unknowable revelation of solidarity.
Reader, in the next few weeks you will read, in this paper, stories about you, your professors, the events on this campus and its administrative policies, just as you always have. We will soon bring you our annual Undergraduate Research Conference edition. And we are excited to announce a special student government elections edition that should help you better participate in SGA elections.
I would like to take this opportunity to recommit to this organization’s mission and to invite your input, story ideas and participation. Below is our mission statement. Thank you for reading.
“We will represent IU South Bend culture. To do so, we will present as many different voices and student opinions as possible. Our mission is to push the boundaries of journalistic innovation, increase dialogue on campus and report news that is fair, accurate and complete.”
