Welcome back Mountaineers, both new and old! It is with great pleasure and honor to serve as your Editor-in-Chief of The Appalachian for the 2023-24 academic year, and I am thrilled for you to see what’s in store this year!

For nearly 90 years, our publication’s purpose has been to deliver fair and accurate news, while also entertaining through other content and serving as a public forum for ideas and more. Our publication also strives to champion for all those in Boone, from students to faculty and staff, to the residents of Appalachia. 

Last academic year, our publication went through a few changes, but our mission stayed the same nonetheless, with a few new things for you, the reader, to keep in mind as well.

For starters, we are now located in a new space. We previously resided in room 217 of Plemmons Student Union for 30 years, but as of the spring 2023 semester, we are now located in room 235 of Plemmons Student Union. So for those wishing to either join our publication, stop by with a story idea, or with inquiries about anything, you can find us in room 235.

We also expanded the number of newsletters we published each week. We now send out two newsletters per week on Tuesday and Thursday, which you can sign up for on our website. And spoiler alert: we will now feature horoscopes in them!

As we excitedly enter our 90th year anniversary in January, we’ve reflected on our operations throughout the years and will continue to build upon them. 

We will continue posting quality stories on our website, in addition to our monthly print issues. However, keep an eye out for new types of content from us, such as more multimedia and podcasts. And of course, you can expect a continuation of our crossword puzzles and bringing back games such as Sudoku in our print copies.

And of course, this paper is for you, the reader. Our publication is built on your stories, which is why we want to be as true to you as possible and make sure we are accurately reflecting the communities of Boone. I would like to acknowledge that our geographic area, as well as our student population and newspaper staff, is made up of people of all backgrounds, and that our publication is not just for one group of people. It’s for everyone. Our news organization intends to make sure everyone feels seen and heard. That’s why for almost 90 years, we have been here to listen to and share your stories. We hope you’ll join us as we continue on that mission for many more.

If you have a story idea, please submit a story idea or write a letter to the editor through our website. Or, please stop by our newsroom to chat with us. I, along with the rest of our staff, will be happy to help with whatever you may need.

And finally, new to this year, if you are part of an organization or community wishing to tell us about an event or something you would like to have covered, keep an eye out for our public calendar. This new initiative will allow you to submit your events for our staff to review. Please know that we not only want to hear from you, but we want you to know that we are available to you. 

Thank you, reader, for taking the time to pick up this copy of The Appalachian — we hope it’s not the last. Without you, there wouldn’t even be a copy, so we thank you for your support or just curiosity to see “Oh what’s this?” when picking it up from a stand. 

Here is to (almost) 90 years, and here is to many more! We hope you will celebrate our 90th with us.

Have a wonderful first semester, Mountaineers!

Jenna Guzman

2023-24 Editor-in-Chief