For me, nothing beats a Michigan autumn. Every other season just pales in comparison. What can beat crisp morning air, scenic colors on the trees, fall sports, Halloween, cider mills –– the answer is nothing. 

Each of my fall semesters at OU have been a highlight. I love walking to class and seeing the campus community at its best. Fall is also a reflective time for me. When I notice the trees changing color each fall, I can’t help but reflect on all of the changes in the past year.

For me, fall has always been a time for new beginnings. The start of a new academic year brings about a new sense of motivation and excitement for the year to come. As I begin my last semester here at Oakland University, I am trying to savor this last fall as a student and appreciate the journey I took to get here and the changes I have seen along the way.

Change is also at the forefront of my mind when thinking about the trajectory of my time and progression at The Oakland Post. Change is a good thing –– and for The Post, I want it to be continually dynamic.

So here are some changes we have implemented since I started my Editor in Chief journey back in the Spring:

Our website got a makeover! You all may have noticed our new logo and typeface. The goal was to give The Post a cleaner, sleeker appearance, and we hope the new designs are as aesthetically pleasing for you as they are for us. We switched our tagline too. At The Post, we feel “A Trusted Source of Independent Student Journalism since 1987” summarizes our history, our values and goals succinctly. 

We also rearranged our website. After years of oaklandpostonline.com looking like a bit of a crossword puzzle, we rearranged our design to give readers an easier, more pleasurable reading experience. We hope it’s easier to navigate our website now –– at The Post, we want to make sure each article is visible. 

We have also implemented some new social media strategies to increase user engagement. That may sound boring, but it isn’t. We’re on TikTok now! Follow us @theoaklandpost

Additionally, we will continue to update the OU community on our other social media accounts, which include Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

Hopefully, you will notice a new section in The Post. Starting this fall, we will implement a political section of our paper. We want to keep our readers engaged in all local, state, national and international political events. We believe it is The Post’s responsibility to educate readers on the ever-changing world around us, and we are thrilled to share this vision by providing political articles that contain research, analysis and viewpoints worthy of publication by our exceptional staff. 

After much thought, The Post will be updating its comment policy. Over the past year, we have listened to the feedback provided by our dedicated readers and we are implementing a new comment policy with fewer restrictions. The Oakland Post is a publication that welcomes open discourse, debate and dissent. 

Finally, we have adjusted our printing schedule. Starting this Fall, The Post will only be printing hardcover copies bi-weekly. There will still be new articles each week, but with current trends, we feel a bi-weekly print schedule will allow us to focus more on digital content and save some trees while we’re at it. 

As if all of those modifications weren’t enough, I also wish to address a big change I plan to implement, and that’s outreach. We want to hear from you, our dedicated readers and OU community. At The Oakland Post, we want to know what you want us to cover, what we’re doing well and even what we could improve upon. The Oakland Post is here to serve you. My email is [email protected] –– I encourage you to send me your thoughts, concerns and ideas.

I hope you will see all of these changes as improvements. While my staff and I work hard to write and publish The Oakland Post, it belongs to all of us.