EDITORIAL: Where we stand

A heartfelt look back, and anA heartfelt look back, and anexcited look ahead, from theA heartfelt look back, and anexcited look ahead, from thenew leaders of The DailyA heartfelt look back, and anexcited look ahead, from thenew leaders of The DailyPennsylvanian.A heartfelt look back, and anexcited look ahead, from thenew leaders of The DailyPennsylvanian.________________________________ As former reporters, photographers, artists and business staffers, we know what it takes to produce five issues of the DP every week. We've sold and designed the advertisements and pages, researched and written the news, feature and sports stories, promoted our product to people and businesses on and off campus and paid for their services and assistance. After years of late nights and early mornings, lost sleep and added stress, we are assuming our new positions enthusiastically, and hoping to chart some part of our institution's -- and the University's -- future path. We look forward to making decisions that will have a lasting and constructive impact both on this newspaper and on the larger community. The past year has been dynamic for the University, with high rankings from scholarly organizations like the National Research Council and increasingly positive press coverage, thanks to University President Judith Rodin. At the same time, students have seen a number of new initiatives pushed out of the top spots on the administration's agenda after an initial outpouring of ideas and support -- namely the 21st Century Project on the Undergraduate Experience, the Perelman Quadrangle and the master plan for campus safety. This situation must change; the University is a business whose student customers are paying dearly for the opportunity to be educated here, and we deserve 100 percent satisfaction. On a national level, federal government gridlock reached unprecedented proportions last year, and the financial aid monies and research grants that keep the University running will likely be reduced in magnitude as a result. We deplore these cuts, and wonder what other changes this election year will bring. Today, we renew our commitment to the highest standards of journalistic integrity and accuracy in reporting. We know that one of the most important commodities in this field is trust, and we want you to be confident that each story you see on our pages is true and complete. We also rededicate ourselves to this newspaper's mission of education, information and entertainment. We plan to continue our Saturday School program for West Philadelphia middle-schoolers interested in journalism. You will see a return to in-depth news features and investigative pieces that were common to both the DP and 34th Street in years past. 34th Street will join the DP on the World Wide Web, and DP Online will soon have its own staff, ready to mine more fully the potential of the virtual world. Our Opinion page will be changing, too, with more reader-oriented features designed to elicit feedback and put a greater diversity of viewpoints in circulation. We hope that its columns, editorials and polls will encourage dialogue and healthy discussion, not contentious debate for its own sake. Finally, the DP's sports pages will play host to more extensive Big 5 coverage and features on individual athletes. All of our work is accomplished without the University's financial involvement or editorial interference. We are proud of our tradition of independence, but recognize that it comes with a high degree of responsibility. If we're not holding up our end of the bargain, we want to hear about it; the only way we can improve is by knowing what to adjust. There are more ways than ever for you, as readers, to get in touch with us, including letters, telephone calls, faxes and e-mail. We welcome your comments, concerns and criticism -- and we extend an invitation to join us if you want to have a louder voice in what we print each day. We view the upcoming year as a tremendous opportunity, and we're prepared for one of the most exhausting and exhilarating segments of our collective college experience. We may make mistakes along the way, but we will always strive to learn from them -- and to leave this newspaper just a little better than we found it.