Dear Seahawk Readers,

I hope this letter finds you in high spirits as we dive into another exciting semester at UNCW. As we venture into this new semester, I would like to welcome both returning students and those who are just beginning their journey at UNCW. As the former news editor, I am excited to be the editor-in-chief during The Seahawk’s 75^th year as an organization. Having a role that contributes to 75 years of student journalism is no small opportunity, and I look forward to bringing you the best version of The Seahawk that I can provide.

As editor-in-chief, I promise to you that The Seahawk will strive to be a trusted outlet of information, a platform for student voices and a reflection of the community we strive to serve. With a new semester comes the promise of new challenges and opportunities. With each step, we are committed to keeping you informed and engaged with what we are doing.

With our dedicated team of writers, editors, photographers, contributors and everyone behind the scenes who makes the work we do possible, we will strive to give you thorough and researched articles to produce compelling stories that you will want to read. At The Seahawk, we believe in the power of student journalism to foster understanding through inquisitive pursuits, offer each student a voice in their paper and tell the stories that unite our local and campus communities. No matter the story, we strive to represent what UNCW means to us.

In our commitment to upholding journalistic standards and quality journalism, we are excited to announce some initiatives this year. As we undergo a rebranding phase, we want to make the website more user-friendly, making it easier to access our stories, access and share articles and interact with the writers. Another exciting initiative that we are implementing is Seahawk Gives Back sessions. As a student journalist, I believe one of the most important things we can do for our community is show up and enact change. We will be offering volunteer sessions to give back to the community, from making blankets for shelters to offering our time on campus. If you have events that need volunteers, please feel free to reach out to us. The best part is you do not have to be a member of The Seahawk to join us. We aim to be an open space for our community. You have given us so much and we want to do the same for you.

Another exciting initiative we have on the calendar this year is the 75^th anniversary of our organization. From stories about marijuana usage in the dorms to banned books, The Seahawk has tried to write about it all. As we are only one year younger than the university, we want to continue to grow and change.

For us, The Seahawk is not just an online publication; we believe it is a reflection of the students that make up our campus. Your thoughts and opinions matter to us as we grow and expand. We invite you to share your feedback with us and what matters to you so our readers can take an active role in shaping the campus narrative at [email protected].

As we navigate challenges and celebrate the successes, The Seahawk is committed to bringing you the best content we can. As the editor, I make this promise to you, readers. Thank you for your support over the years, and we look forward to another semester of serving our community.

Until next time, have a great semester.

Warmly,

Amelia McNeese

Editor-in-Chief

The Seahawk