In my four years as an editor for The Rotunda, I have seen the newspaper undergo major changes in membership, design and content. This semester, while there are going to be changes in all three of those areas, one difference that you will most likely notice right away will be the layout of our Feb. 5 issue. After years of featuring a traditional broadsheet newspaper layout, we are going to have a trial run of the tabloid newspaper style.
Now, when you think “tabloid,” you probably imagine the trashy magazines you thumb through while waiting in line at the grocery store. I’m going to ask you to try to remove that image from your head right away.
A tabloid does have more of a magazine feel, but The Rotunda will continue to be, above all else, a newspaper. Each time the idea of switching to the tabloid has been brought up over the past few years, it has promptly been shut down.
I will admit that I was one of the leaders who completely opposed the idea of the tabloid at first. I just love the traditional newspaper look so much. But after a few months, the idea was brought to my attention again and I realized that I owed it to everyone to at least consider the idea. I gave in and pitched the idea to the editorial board.
The idea was met with mixed reviews, but ultimately, the board decided to try the tabloid out. We are not committing to it in any way but are instead conducting an experiment of sorts. Our printers, The Farmville Herald, were completely open to us trying it out for a few weeks to see if it is the right fit or if we should go back broadsheet.
This is where you all, our readers, come in. This newspaper is for you. We put it together week after week for you. Your opinion is invaluable to us. When we premiere this new style next week, we are going to reach out to you in person in the Dorrill Dining Hall (D-Hall) lobby and online on our Facebook and Twitter pages. We want to know what you think. Whether you love the tabloid or hate it, whether it is more readable or not really your thing, we want to know. We want your opinions and suggestions. In fact, we need them.
Change is exciting, scary and a great deal of work. It is also a huge risk. But if you never exit your comfort zone, you’ll never improve, so branching out is exactly what we will do.
We implore you to share your opinions with us. Visit our social media pages, come see us at D-Hall and feel free to email me at rotundaeditor@gmail.com. No matter what style we end up choosing, your feedback will guide us the whole way.
