The opening of SBU’s journalism school is so much more than the addition of 30 new courses – it’s the unleashing of the first sizeable generation of real reporters and investigators at Stony Brook, and another significant step toward the establishment of a real, politically active, national University. If Stony Brook is exploding all over the academic field, with its ever-sky-rocketing rankings, it still lacks something central to its transformation into a great school – controversy.

As in any organization of over 20,000 people, there has always been enough fodder for the press to spark a sense of connectivity, social awareness, and passion about our place of learning. All that was missing, until now, was a large enough cross-section of sensitive, inquisitive individuals who could chase out the controversy and publish it.

Of course, the prospect of having our pick of trained, self-motivated reporters is a relief and a source of excitement for our, and any, newspaper. As a result, students can expect the Statesman to have more news, more accuracy, more energy, more quality, and more controversy than we may ever have had in the past; the powers that be can expect more accountability, and the students can expect more complete representation.

All in all, our paper aspires to be a prime player in the changing face of the school, and the major counterpart to SBU’s new School of Journalism. We encourage all emerging journalism majors to take advantage of campus media; the idea of an aspiring print writer failing to be a constant college reporter, at every opportunity, is ludicrous.

If your journalism goals are as serious as ours, you’ll always have a home at the Statesman. No matter where you end up though, make sure to do your part to make your fellow students aware, involved, and always interested.