Congratulations on finding the editorial page of the Northern Star. This space represents the majority opinion of the editorial board, which includes the Editor in Chief, Managing Editor, Editorial Editor, Campus Editor and Metro Editor of the Star. Throughout the school year, you will find our views on current events here at NIU and in the rest of the world.

Even though our circulation is among the top 25 in the country, we still want to serve even more students every day. With Sweeps, the new feature section, the newspaper will be more fun and entertaining. Interesting new features will join old favorites such as “Catch of the Day” on the Sweeps page.

FYI has been added to keep you better informed of campus and community events. Everyone is welcome to submit content for this section via forms available at the Star office, Campus Life Building, Suite 130, or online at www.northernstar.info/forms/fyi.php. You also can submit story ideas by e-mailing [email protected] or by calling the newsroom at 753-9643.

Beat reporters to cover special topics such as the residence halls and religion have joined the ones already reporting on cultural and Greek affairs. These new beat reporters will increase the variety and range of news content appearing every day.

Several design changes also have been implemented to make the paper easier to read. The navigation bar on the front page will enable you to see at a glance the major stories of the day. The Star has also acquired the right to use Associated Press photos and graphics to make the newspaper more visually appealing. We have even redesigned the editorial section to allow for more views to be represented.

The Star has made a lot of important changes to serve you, our readers, even better. As more than 85 percent of the students rely on the Star as their primary news source, we take our responsibility very seriously.