Bob Dylan wrote, “the times, they are a-changin’.” Though his matter-of-fact observation has become an iconic statement for the passing of any era, the Brady Bunch’s ode to metamorphosis offers a greater embrace for the inevitability of growth  – “When it’s time to change, then it’s time to change.”

With growing media habits and an influx of publications – both online and print – the Northern Star staff felt it was time to revamp its daily product.

It was time to rethink what we cover, how we cover it and the way we present the information.

The new design and content represents hundreds of hours of brainstorming and reviewing readership surveys and tendencies. But most of all, it represents you, the reader. Our goal is to provide the same journalistic integrity and standards of unbiased reporting with a fresh and exciting feel. The Star has cosmetically tweaked only a few pages since its 1999 redesign, and has not been a part of a top-to-bottom re-figuration in decades.

Our job is to serve the community we cover. As a newspaper we must mirror the news provided in our surrounding area as well as those people creating the news. We feel strongly DeKalb and the NIU student body changes regularly. Providing the same material as the last millennium is unfair and projects the image of a stagnant community. Are you the same person you were five, seven or nine years ago? We didn’t think so.

In the next few weeks, you will see several small changes to our new product. We encourage all readers to offer suggestions on any and every inch of the paper.

Have an opinion on the new fonts? Send it to us. Are you a fan of Sudoku? Great. Do you miss the blue on page one? We don’t. We dissected our product and rebuilt it from the ground up. Now it’s time for feedback. After all, we’re here to give you the news in the most effective way possible. If we aren’t doing that, let us know how this product can better represent 2006 DeKalb.

Like any business, the Northern Star has reached a point in its history when it must follow David Bowie’s lead and, “turn and face the strain.”

But if we do our job right, there won’t be much strain left.