Hey there! Feeling well oriented? Or still wandering around wide-eyed, trying desperately to find somebody who looks old enough to know where Pearson Hall is? I know that in my case, it took me a good two weeks to figure out how to get from my room to the Carmichael Dining Hall. Oh, and did I mention that I lived in Carmichael?
By this point, countless people have told you about what you need to do to get used to Tufts. But while grandpa's suggestion that you avoid speakeasies and mom's beautifully wrapped can of pepper spray were certainly heartfelt, they will do little in the way of making you a full-fledged member of the Tufts community.
That's where we come in. To become engaged in a community, you first need to learn about it. Sound enticing? Well, then keep an eye on the day-to-day happenings we bring to you in our News section. Spot a trend you'd like to learn more about? No worries; we offer you our Features section. Running low on Jumbo spirit? Not a problem; you can get a refill by reading Sports. Looking for a little culture? Arts has it for you! And if that's not enough, we have more in real time. Be sure to check out the revamped TuftsDaily.com not only for your news, but also for our blogs and nifty audio-visual features.
Understanding a community, of course, is more complicated than just following its news. After all, I'm sure somewhere along the way, somebody told you that college is about growing intellectually and sharing ideas. We have that covered too, so don't forget to peruse our Op-Ed section to see what others are thinking. And send in your own opinions while you're at it.
Or better yet, you can come write for us. Or join our business department or design team. It's a great way to keep a finger on the pulse of the campus; and you might even figure out where Pearson is in the process.
That said, we haven't forgotten that you, like most Tufts students, will also try to save the world — or at least make it a better place — in between meeting your roommate (mine had a cuckoo clock that went off every half hour all night — Hi, Mike!) and getting used to your classes and extracurricular activities. So we know you're not going to forget about that other community — you know, the international one.
But while we don't expect the Daily to completely replace your addiction to The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal (although I hear there's a patch for that), we certainly hope to complement it. I have the good fortune of hailing from Scranton, Pa., the famed home of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. While Dunder Mifflin can never quite beat the prices of Staples or OfficeMax, it has a lot to offer that its competitors can't: quality customer service, for example.
Oh, and a perpetually peeved little man who shouts third-grade insults as he attempts to remove his stapler from its Jell-O encasing.
Take that, New York Times!
Sincerely,
Rob Silverblatt
Editor-in-Chief
