A new semester is starting up across campus, and just like every August, a million things may look the same, but a million things are different.
Thousands of new students are arriving and getting ready to make their mark. A newly-renovated Russell House features the full-service Chick-fil-a and Panera Bread that will undoubtedly get way too much of my money. Even the historic Horseshoe has new grass that's so green I'm not 100 percent convinced its real.
The Daily Gamecock is no different. We've been creating content for literally hundreds of semesters, and none of them have been identical. Every staff brings its own unique strengths to the table, and every new era presents its own unique challenges. To keep up, we have to always adapt.
In that spirit, we will be making a rather significant change this semester. Our print edition will now be a weekly product. The number of print editions we publish each week has fluctuated many times in our history, and our staff is equipped to handle the transition.
Still, it's important to me, and to all of us who work here, that our audience understands how this decision was made. We spent a great deal of time discussing what this change would entail. In the end, we decided that printing weekly would allow us to continue our evolution into a digital-first newsroom. Our website, email editions and social media accounts allow us to meet our audience where they already are in order to keep them informed.
Given that change, we've decided to return to our original name, The Gamecock, for our print editions. We're still The Daily Gamecock as a whole, but this change will allow us to better recognize the unique qualities of our print edition. And that print edition will not go away. It's a fundamental part of who we are, and you can still expect to see it on newsstands every week. We'll also continue to produce our traditional special editions, celebrating the beginning of the semester, the start of football season, Family Weekend and the end of the semester.
The one constant in our work is quality. That will not waver. If anything, it will only continue to improve as we continue to evolve.
And all our content now has a newly-renovated digital home. Our website has been redesigned to be as sleek and user-friendly as possible. It's mobile-friendly and showcases our best and most important content. It also includes new features to help us better connect with you. You can now submit a letter to the editor or a story tip through an easy online form included on our website. It's also easier than ever to subscribe to our email edition, which is delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.
The excellent work we do in service of you is just one component of your Student Media. Together as Garnet Media Group, we work closely with our partner organizations to create entertaining and informative multimedia content. We'll be working hard this semester to increase those offerings alongside Garnet & Black, WUSC and SGTV. And that work will have a new home on GMG's new website.
Whether this is your first time picking up a copy of our paper as you move into your residence hall, or you've been reading for years, we're thrilled to have you here.
It's our honor and privilege to keep you informed and to help welcome you home to Carolina.
Forever to thee,
Mary Ramsey
Editor-in-chief, The Daily Gamecock