As a transfer student almost two years ago, it was a bit of a culture shock to find myself in DeKalb.

Back home in Rockford, living in a basement apartment smack in the middle of downtown, I was surrounded by art galleries, hole-in-the-wall clubs and dingy coffee shops where the conversation flowed as freely as the coffee and cigarette smoke in the air.

Here, I was surrounded by cornfields and a lot of bars, which didn’t matter much because I was only 20. I wept my first weekend here, missing my then-boyfriend, grandparents and the city I’m happy to call home.

But I slowly began to realize that DeKalb isn’t the black hole of all that is unholy after all.

And don’t think as editor I’m going to praise the Weekender for sparing me from a catatonic state of boredom. I rarely picked up the paper at the time and, if I did, it was to soak up spills in my dorm room.

But after writing for the Weekender , and now as editor, I realize what an important role this section of the paper plays in the lives of NIU students. After dealing with classes, homework, jobs, roommates and anything else that might stress you out, it’s good to know there are things to do in DeKalb that will let you be the crazy college kid you are for awhile.

Surprisingly, there is culture here. You just have to know where to find it. The Weekender reporters and myself will try our best to inform you about what’s going on in the area and the best way to go about doing it.

But we need your help.

A goal we have for the Weekender this semester is to diversify the material to appeal to every student on campus. However, it’s almost impossible to be aware of everything going on all the time.

In the past, we have attempted, in vain, to convince you – our treasured readers – to submit your ideas, comments, suggestions and/or complaints to the Weekender. I am serious when I invite you to please inform us on what’s going on in the buzzing metropolis of DeKalb, and don’t be shy in letting us know what needs to be improved.

The Weekender is part of a student newspaper. This means that if you’re a student, this is your paper. Your feedback is necessary to accurately represent our campus, and the more we hear from you, the better the Weekender will be.

You have a voice. Don’t be afraid to use it.