COLUMN: The 'DP' of Tomorrow

With a change in title comes added responsibility. Responsibility to report the news to the University and community in a clear, honest and objective manner. Responsibility to provide a forum for free expression of ideas and issues. Responsibility to be the best we can be. A year-and-a-half has elapsed since the confiscation of the DP. Since then, we, as a staff, have looked inward -- at ways to improve ourselves -- and looked outward -- at our relationship with the surrounding community. Inside the walls of the DP, we have debated the responsibilities and consequences of free speech. We have steadfastly stood as ardent defenders of this freedom and promoted it as the sole means to having a productive dialogue about difficult issues affecting this campus. At the same time, we have re-evaluated our responsibility to the community. Our staff worked with The Vision to produce two series that were informative and worthwhile on all fronts. And our Saturday School program taught local youth about writing, photography and production through a six-week course this fall. The culmination was an eight-page supplement, fully produced by the participants, that accompanied the DP at the end of last semester. Still, there is much to be accomplished. We are eager to build on the diversity we have worked so hard to create in the newsroom. In addition, we are committed to being proactive in finding solutions to issues before they become problems. It has become a tradition over the course of the last several years for the executive editor of the paper to write a bi-weekly column that touches on serious, and sometimes light-hearted, issues. But I wanted to take this opportunity to explain to you, our readers, why I have decided not to take a column for the upcoming semester. The DP is truly at the crossroads of a new era. We are working diligently to put the newspaper on-line beginning in September. Doing so will allow students, parents, alumni and others interested in the University to access the DP each day from anywhere in the world. It will provide more opportunities to hear comments on articles, editorials and columns. It will allow anyone to access our archive system. The benefits of this move are limitless, but the planning is comprehensive and promises to be time-intensive. As executive editor, I will be a leading figure in this endeavor and welcome suggestions. Another area of emphasis will be The Weekly Pennsylvanian, which many of you have probably never seen. Sent to parent and alumni subscribers, the Weekly gives readers a look at the best of Penn. Along with providing them with the top stories of the week, I want to offer more stories of direct interest and act on the feedback we receive. But most importantly, I am going to spend this semester trying to find out what you -- students, faculty, staff, administrators -- want out of the DP. I will be seeking your input at various points during this semester on issues and ideas that concern you. The DP will be holding forums, sometimes with other organizations, to examine not only our coverage, but other issues facing the University and the nation. This column serves as a hello, not a goodbye. You will be hearing from me again. When there is an issue that must be addressed, I will not hide behind a veil, but instead will offer my honest opinion to open an avenue of thoughtful dialogue. The DP is placing higher priorities on reporting the news accurately and offering a no-holds-barred discussion of the issues (as you read above in our Where We Stand editorial). This year promises to be one of progress and change; of triumphs and failures. We will not be perfect -- it is impossible. But rather than ignoring when we make a mistake, we will now actively seek to become part of the solution. Join the DP or express your opinion through another means. But, above all, it is impossible to communicate your views unless you speak up. Charles Ornstein is a junior psychology and history major from Farmington Hills, Mich., and Executive Editor of The Daily Pennsylvanian.

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