As I sit down to write this editorial, which was to be my introduction as next year’s editor in chief of the Spectator, I find it hard to focus. In the wake of the tragic murders at Virginia Tech, I feel there is an issue I must first address.As a U.S. citizen, up until the attacks of 9/11, I felt safe. When I came to school here at VSU, I felt safe. When I was a freshman and I lived in the dorms, I felt safe. On Monday, an individual entered into school buildings at Virginia Tech and proceeded to kill 32 students before killing himself. It’s not easy to feel safe anymore.

I can’t help but feel disheartened and a bit frightened by how the world seems to be erupting in violence. At a time when our troops are locked in bloody fighting in Iraq, we find even more bloodshed here at home. Not only does my heart go out to the troops but my heart goes out to the families of the faculty and students who were murdered in Virginia. I immediately think about my own family and how they would feel if something like this happened on our own campus. We can no longer deny that bad things happen, even to good people. This is not the time to be naive.

The world is changing, politics are changing and America is changing. For the first time, there could be a woman or an African American president. The world’s thirst for fossil fuels is stoking the fires of turmoil in the Middle East while the technology to alleviate the problem exists and has for many years. In turn, our country and the world still seem to lack haste in addressing problems like global warming which affect us all.

When big things happen like this week’s tragedy in Virginia, people immediately turn to the press for answers. When changes are to come, people put their faith in the media to supply them with the information they need. The press is used as a way to bring about change in our society. The Spectator is no different. Even though issues discussed by the SGA may seem mundane, they bring about changes that affect all of us as VSU students, like recycling centers or when our spring break will be.

VSU is growing and over the next three years there will be multi-million dollar renovations made to accommodate future students. As the school grows, so will the Spectator. I would like for students to feel that the Spectator is their newspaper. Not only for news on upcoming events or changes to come but as a way to express their opinions and thoughts.

As a leader of the new staff in a new year, I would like to encourage students to speak out. Send in a letter to the editor if you have an opinion and would like to be heard. If you enjoy writing, get involved. As a student newspaper, our main focus is to supply students with the information they need but this does not mean that we cannot tackle controversial topics on all levels, local, national and global. Even if you are not a great writer, send in story ideas and we will find the writers.

The Spectator will also be embracing multimedia elements online. We plan to make the Spectator online a place where students can see video and hear audio of local events. It will be a site where you can not only read about controversial topics that we address but view slideshows of them. We are working to make the site interactive for students because, hey, the Spectator is the student newspaper. It can be a place where not only student organizations, but individuals can receive well earned recognition for their achievements.

We cannot achieve all this as a staff; we need help from the student body if we are to succeed in making our paper great. After all, the Spectator slogan is now “Your News, Your Views.” Just let us know what you want and what you need.