There is one thing every student on this campus has come in search of – an education. It doesn’t matter if they are looking for an education in teaching, mathematics, chemistry, business, English, sociology, music or one of the other fine programs this university offers. They will receive instruction that will hopefully prove priceless long after they leave the quaint confines of Charleston.

The staff of The Daily Eastern News and the rest of the student body at Eastern are no different. We seek an education just as much as the next student on campus, however we don’t limit our education to the one we receive in the classroom.

Many members of our staff are journalism majors, but we also have art, education, history and business majors. The News is a vehicle for a diverse group of student to take what they have learned in the classroom and practice the skills Eastern’s faculty has taught them. There are other organizations on campus similar to The News allowing students to practice their collective skills. Students do this knowing an education alone can only go so far. They also need experience to help them succeed after they graduate and there is no better time or place to get that experience then when you are on a college campus full of helpful faculty willing to help you fulfill your potential.

With all that being said, I must approach a topic that has bothered me since I started working for The News three years ago. While it doesn’t take much effort to find someone who has high praise for the work of the staff of The News, it doesn’t take much effort to find someone critical of The News for its numerous mistakes either.

Not all criticism is unwarranted. I personally don’t mind objective criticism. I believe it to be the best tool for teaching.

I have long believed in learning from mistakes. I will never put a metal object in a microwave because of a mistake my sister made when we were children. I will never drive 12 miles on a bad tire again because of what happened to me while I was moving back to Charleston last week. I’m sure I’m not the only one with incidents like these.

Mistakes are a part of life and more importantly they are a part of learning. The News’ staff of about 12 editors working for a meager salary and countless volunteers routinely go above and beyond to produce a publication that informs Eastern’s community about the news it cares most about. The staff often puts in excessive hours while trying to attend class, do homework and pay bills.

Despite the staff’s best efforts, we are not capable of producing an error-free paper on a daily basis. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I’m not saying our goal is poor reporting, writing, editing, photography and design. We want to do the best we can. Many of our editors, writers and staff members are bothered by each and every mistake they allow into the paper. I too am bothered by these mistakes, but I am comforted by the thought hopefully we have learned something from them.

This semester I will make one guarantee. We will continue to make mistakes, we will learn from them, and when we leave Eastern we will be better for it.