“Write a column for the ‘Welcome Back Edition,'” Editor Joe says to me. “Make it good.” No pressure or anything.

This edition is going to be chock full of content about all manner of summer to school information and advice. A brief summary: Moving back is a hassle, books are expensive and some way, somehow you’re going to be stuck with a bad schedule and classes that you’ll forget about the minute you dig into that Christmas ham.

But don’t despair. Despair should be reserved for those hell weeks and those mornings after making unfortunate life decisions. This is the beginning of a brand new year and a time to appreciate the little things that are changing around campus that you may overlook.

Did you know, for example, that this University is no longer a Coca-Cola school? Two weeks ago, the state of Illinois signed a contract that granted exclusive pouring rights to Pepsi. Of course it came down to the money, but for Pepsi aficionados like me, this move away from the dark side is reason enough to celebrate.

Because you’re back on campus, you know how bad move-in traffic can be. This year, multiple construction projects around the area won’t help matters. Memorial Stadium is getting an overhaul, the Illini Orange is a memory for now, PAR dining hall is being renovated, a new apartment complex is going up near West Nevada Street and two major projects on Green Street including the soon-to-be tallest structure in the Champaign-Urbana metro area look to be potential transit problems. But on the bright side, we’re getting a Penn Station Sub shop next to Flat Top.

The Board of Trustees recently approved the Global Campus Initiative. Set to launch in January, it aims to expand the University’s academic offerings and catapult us to the bleeding edge of higher education innovation. At this point, color me skeptical. Ambition is good, especially at an academic level. While we have a good idea of what failure will look like, the program’s success will be harder to gauge.

Elsewhere on the technology front, the decision was recently made to get rid of the UIUC.edu domain. Our new destination for all things University of Illinois will eventually be Illinois.edu. If you think that’s a little broad, you’re not alone. There’s something to be said for marketing ourselves as the premier state university but it’s going to be tough to get used to an address that could, at first glance, refer to the entirety of Illinois’ educational system. That’s not the only catch either; e-mail addresses, academic papers and a ton of code all over the campus network will have to be changed. While there’s no timetable for the transition yet, look for it soon.

And I can’t write a column about the changes on campus without mentioning Chief Illiniwek. Last semester saw the heated issue finally come to a close but this semester will see our first full sports season without him. While the Three-in-One will endure, perhaps Illini Nation will have more to revere in Memorial Stadium this year than the halftime show. If Zook’s boys can keep their focus on the game instead of on the fans that will inevitably dress up as the Chief in the stands, they can improve on last year’s dismal 2-10 season.

A “new” beginning is hopelessly clich‚d. Saying we’re at the start of one is easy and conveniently poetic but the truth is that change isn’t unique; it’s normal. We should be more concerned with things that don’t change. Like those hell weeks that will be here before we know it.

So here’s to you, University of Illinois. Don’t go changing on us. Too much, that is.