Happening on Campus

Welcome home, Middlebury.

"Home" has a different definition for all of us. For the first-years who only just pushed over-eager parents out the doorway of a new dorm room, the idea of calling this place home may seem a little far-fetched. For the seniors who feel like they've been here forever, and to the faculty and staff who actually have, this welcome probably feels a little more familiar, and this place a little more like home.

This summer, I read a definition of home that describes it as "the centre where the three or four / things / that happen to a man do happen." It seems the author had in mind one specific center, a single place that a person could point to and call his or her own. I have a feeling, however, that most of us can cite quite a few places that would fit this definition.

I've been away from my Middlebury home for a year now. I spent five months in Argentina and seven months in China, and quite a few things happened to me in those places. I have a home in Mooresville, North Carolina, where I spent the first eighteen years of my life. Then there are the scattered homes in between: physical, geographical places and also things that happened that share no connection with their location.

As the new editor-in-chief of the Campus, I'm particularly drawn to this definition of home because it rests at the very core of what we do as journalists. We tell you what has happened; we define your home.

In the world of today's journalism, however, simply telling you what has happened is more often than not completely useless. Print journalism is too slow, and as a weekly print publication, the Campus could be considered a relic – might as well get your news from a carrier pigeon.

Naturally, I can't say I agree with this statement. I plan to build upon our history and provide you with content that uses our time frame to our advantage. Our team of reporters will work to more thoroughly investigate and explain your home. We'll tell you what has happened, but we'll also tell you why it matters.

Our role as journalists extends far beyond the pages we write; we assign significance to the events we cover. Journalists are truth-seekers, historians, curators and, perhaps most importantly, your classmates. Journalists rely on the community around us for the source of content and also for readership – a full-circle process that implies an absolute necessity for feedback. We hope to hear from you either through a letter to the editor, a quote for an article or a dining hall conversation. Let us know how we can better define your home.

This fall, we will be launching a new website at middleburycampus.com. In addition to all of our print content, the new website will feature blogs, extra columns, podcasts, videos and updates on breaking news. We hope this space becomes a center that you can access when things happen. We'll be strengthening our presence in social media as well, through both Twitter and Facebook accounts. Like us and tweet at us!

Most importantly, we look to you, the Middlebury community, to create and define this center. You're home – now make it happen.