Students are returning  to campus and settling back into their daily routines. Meanwhile, the editorial board is going through a transformation. Spring break signals a renewal as we transition to a whole new Daily Illini Staff.

Our change in leadership offers a new mix of perspectives contributing to editorials; some of these perspectives will be continuing from before turnover and some are new. There are practices implemented in our last editorial board that we want continue, such as covering issues that are more directly related to University students, but also knowing when to be more lighthearted.  

However, there are things we want to work on and weaknesses we want to repair.

We will strive to look at an issue from every possible angle before deciding on an opinion, and make sure our editorial decisions are unanimous and communicated in a constructive way.  We also want to pick our topics based on what we think our fellow students will be most interested in reading.

But most importantly, we want you to be part of the process.

The editorial board offers the unique chance for our staff members to provide opinions and perspectives we ardently keep out of our other sections. But we’re not perfect. We understand the topics we discuss don’t always consider every side of an issue.

The experience at Illinois is completely different for every student and too often these unique perspectives are not showcased. We know this. More importantly, we’re working on it. Yes, really, we are.

We get it. You’ve heard countless mission statements and declarations to be better. But we mean it when we say it, and it starts with you. If you think we’re not covering your issues, join us. Come work for us as columnists or write us a “Letter to the Editor.”  We’d love to have you and hear your opinions.

Hold us accountable. We are not doing our job if you’re not reacting to our work.  As writers, we thrive on feedback.

At the end of the day we are journalists who want to highlight the good and the bad for everything. We are going to work with you, but be patient and accepting that we are trying.

We are excited to be working for you and with you to create the most diverse section possible and we hope to cater to the students better than ever before in the next year.