It gives me great pleasure to welcome back both first year and returning Drovers to USAO. When thinking about this note and the idea of introducing the Trend (and for other students, re-introducing), I have so many things I wish to put down on paper. It is worth pointing out that this is not an editor’s note in the traditional sense, but instead I find it important for our viewers to be aware of the Trend’s goals on a more personal level.   

For starters, older students may be aware that the website has (finally) been updated. The Trend originally moved to the online format in 2005 but has received little maintenance since that time. With a new website to bring the Trend into the 21st century, we are now better equipped to fulfill our purpose as USAO’s student newspaper.  

That leads me to what this note is really all about: the Trend’s purpose. Of course, it is pretty simple to point out that the Trend is a news publication, so the main point is to educate USAO’s campus about what is going on around our world. However, the Trend is in some ways bigger than that. It is a hands-on education in skills that students can apply immediately to their lives. Students who work with the Trend are trained in interviewing skills, interpersonal communication, deadlines/time management, and a host of other skills that quite frankly look great on a resume.  

In short, the Trend is not just meant for students to consume, but also to participate in. Writers, readers, thinkers, photographers, and artists all have a place here. Speaking of photographers, this week we will publish Mary-Grace McNutt’s photo essay, the first of its kind.  I look forward to this trimester, as well as your continued readership and participation this fall! 

Daniel Buster is a fourth-year Communication major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.