Walking around campus earlier this month, there were some obvious changes from the last time I’d been here.

I saw about 100 new Apple computers in Booth Library’s computer lab. Then, after a short stroll to the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union, and a relaxing 20-minute stay, I finally pried myself from the luxury of one of the new massage chairs. Driving down 4th Street, I was sad to see the disappearance of the panther statue outside Marty’s bar.

It happens almost every summer; changes are made and many are left wondering, ‘Why did this happen?’ or ‘When’s this going to be finished?’

The Daily Eastern News is here to find the answers to those questions.

Many might not be used to change, like freshmen living away from home for the first time, or those who graduated and moved on to the real world, which must have been quite a change. I actually had a tiny taste of that when I worked an internship at a newspaper in Ottawa this summer. I battled truck drivers, lane closures and idiots driving while talking on their phones for two hours each day just on my commutes. But it was my first glimpse into life beyond college’s walls, and the change was sort of a wakeup call.

But along with learning of the changes around here, The DEN will find out the basic who, what, where, why, when and how of each story to inform you, the readers.

We’ll submit our work to this campus five days a week and we’d love to start a conversation with you all.

As editor in chief, I’d like to hear what you think of everything by sending letters to the editor, leaving comments online or coming in and talking with us in the newsroom in Buzzard Hall.

To encourage conversations between The DEN and you, the readers, we will feature user-generated comments from our Web site on page 4, along with the usual columns, cartoons and editorials. The topics of our editorials will again be written from the collective opinion of our Editorial Board, which is listed on page 2.

Among other DEN changes, you might notice mostly the difference in appearance. Chris Lee, our managing editor, has reworked The DEN’s aesthetic and added nuances to accommodate the leaner look. Our online edition will also add multimedia experiences, so be on the lookout at www.dennews.com.

A newspaper functions best when its readers are involved with the informational process. Part of this process comes from readers’ input and ideas you can bring forth for us to report on. Remember, The DEN is funded by student fees and is just as much your paper as it is ours.