Last semester brought a lot of changes to The Badger Herald. We had a fresh staff and a slew of new positions, along with a revamped look and some lofty goals for matching design to content.

Fall also brought with it a variety of newsworthy events: Election Day provided countless Editorial Board debates, Halloween had the city of Madison on edge and the University of Wisconsin got wrapped up in another scandal or two.

But an October issue of our newspaper came away with the bronze in Best of Show at the national Associated Collegiate Press conference, and badgerherald.com was awarded the National Online Pacemaker for the second year running.

And though we ran into some speed bumps as the semester progressed, one thing’s for sure: Each and every staff member learned a great deal, and we’re going to put it to good use this spring.

Those of us returning are set on starting off strong. Though you won’t see any sweeping changes, we’ve outlined goals in each section in order to better serve the UW community and the city of Madison. Between tightening up coverage in some areas and keeping our efforts focused on students in others, the paper this semester will be stronger than ever.

Additionally, I encourage anyone interested in journalism, drawing, photography or graphic design to get involved in a student newspaper at UW. Our school is lucky enough to play host to a unique media atmosphere, full of competition and rivalry. And here at The Badger Herald, we’re always looking for dedicated students willing to work toward a common goal of creating the best possible product. Even if you’re not looking for a job, get involved by letting us know how to make the paper better.

So stay tuned, keep the feedback coming and enjoy reading. I’m looking forward to an exciting semester.

Sincerely,

Taylor Hughes Editor in Chief