University of Virginia Library

...And Hello

Those of us starting out today, and
especially the incoming Managing Board, are
perhaps a little nervous about the new
prospects. Before, it had always been the
weight of tradition which was the chief trust
of the University's newspaper. Today, the
meanings are different: and as the impact of
the present and the future supplants the
burden of the past, we find ourselves looking
for the ways in which to make this newspaper
the kind of influence which befits its
longstanding role in the community.

Student newspapers are necessarily limited
in scope and by the amateurish nature of
much of the copy. This is a fact we try to
curb, but, after all, students themselves are
amateurish, which may be an attribute in
itself. This latest of Cavalier Dailies, the 82nd
in a series no two of which were run the same
way, promises to be as different from its
predecessor as any. No longer is the weight of
tradition a prime impetus in the making (or
unmaking) of events at the University. Today
we stand at a point of paradox: we see bitter
poverty in the midst of vast riches, the
"Cooling of America" finds awkward
counterpart in the Bombing of Asia — our
American genocide. The cries of Apocalypse
and faces of despair test our awareness of the
fear.

All of that you must know. This
newspaper aims to preserve the best of the
tradition passed our way, which finds its
strongest expression in the words of Thomas
Jefferson at the top of this page. We hope to
print a paper founded in the real facts of the
present and in the possibilities of the future.
There is a Movement at work in this unhinged
society of ours. We are a part of that, and we
may be able to help by printing the truth, and
in looking for the truth where it may have
been concealed. We don't care a damn about
shutting down the University. We want to
open it in a way it has never been before, and
in a way it desperately needs to be. This will
of course require more effort than ever, and
will demand some support (information, ideas,
criticism, writing, photographs, patience)
from as many of you people as care enough to
bother.

To our readers, we offer several
innovations designed to improve the quality
of the journalism. An Editorial Board for the
first time takes part in the writing and
researching of the unsigned pieces which are
the editorial opinions of this newspaper.
Signed work continues to represent the views
of its author only. On page one, there will be
fewer of the short, announcement-type stories
which have appeared there in the past.
Instead, these items may be seen among
Notices. Other style changes will appear
during the coming week, which may enhance
the way the paper looks when it reaches you.