EDITORIAL

Many of you may have been surprised to see that your connection to the campus world, the Pacer Times, has been missing from news stands over the past few weeks.

The staff and advisors of Pacer Times regret that the paper had to take a temporary hiatus from production but as all organizations understand, it takes time to organize, update and revamp to meet the needs of a constantly evolving campus.

We can assure you that our time away has been well spent. We have incorporated changes to our campus newspaper that include, a face-lift, an upcoming new logo, new writers, editors and a much-needed evaluation of our news focus. These efforts have been taken to ensure that all students, regardless of area of study, have an interest in student media.

We are working diligently to sync Pacer Times with our online publication. This collaboration will allow students who are not on campus regularly to stay abreast to the latest news and happenings at the university.

Connections with various organizations and departments have been established so that news that is not readily apparent can be reported to everyone.

It is our belief that our student newspaper should support the university and remain "focused on you."

To achieve this mission, we invite all students to submit news, letters to the editor, photos of campus life and PR releases for campus events requesting coverage. Additionally, if you feel strongly about a specific topic and feel that it is of interest to the student body we would love to know. We are happy to research and report on student interests.

As a matter of fact, some of the most interesting stories we write come from student recommendations.

Pacer Times is your student newspaper. Just as The Aiken Standard supports the Aiken community, publishing letters to the editor and personal stories, the Pacer Times wants to provide students an outlet of expression.

Pacer Times currently has positions available for staff writers in every area of coverage. You do not have to be an English or Communications major to be an important part of our staff. Other areas of opportunity exist for all students across campus including, graphic design, marketing and advertising, business, circulation, photography, research and editing.

Our goal is to achieve an academically diverse staff so that we may structure our newspaper to meet the needs of every department.

If you are interested in a position with Pacer Times or Pacer Times online, submitting a letter to the editor, PR release, story idea or simply wish to be a contributing writer or photographer you may contact us at pacertimes@usca.edu. Your involvement is encouraged and much needed!