It’s that time of the year again when we are either excited for a new beginning or dreading the fact that we must readjust our sleeping schedules. Whatever your case may be, welcome to the third year of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
On that note, I would like to introduce or reintroduce you to the official, award-winning UTRGV student newspaper, The Rider.
The Rider is a student-run newspaper that publishes every Monday and is available on all UTRGV campuses. You may also visit us online at our redesigned-and-improved website, utrgvrider.com.
Most important, we consider ourselves to be the student voice of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Our mission is to be the most accurate, thorough and interesting source of news, sports and entertainment.
In the past two years, we have proved to not only be a voice for students, but for the entire campus community; that includes you, faculty and staff.
The range of topics we have covered include the university’s probationary status, faculty salary adjustments, student success stories and crime on campus, among others.
Our team is dedicated to bring you the most up-to-date UTRGV news and shed light on issues that impact the campus community.
This year, we are incorporating video packages in some of our articles to provide a different platform for our readers to view our content.
In our first Fall 2017 issue, we are focused on providing useful information to the campus community, such as the types of services provided by University Police, updates on the Vaquero Express Campus Connector and local places to grab a bite to eat (Edinburg and Brownsville).
Maybe you are wondering where your classes are at or what there is to do on campus. We provided Edinburg and Brownsville campus maps, and Page 2 contains a Best Week Ever schedule of events.
I encourage you to participate in campus events and get involved with school clubs to obtain the full college experience that is often talked about. Before you know it, your time will come and you will walk across the stage and receive your diploma.
We live on borrowed time. You are at, perhaps, the most important period of your life. This is the time to take advantage and excuse the cliché, live life to the fullest.
Get involved. Let your voice be heard. If there is a story out there that you believe needs to be told, whether it is controversial or not, we are here to help.
If you have an opinion on or strong belief in a certain topic and want to share it, I encourage you to submit a letter to the editor.
We are here for you. We are here to provide our services to the campus community. This is a thankless job and many times, it is a difficult one. However, it is our job to report the truth, and we will do so to the best of our abilities.
Our team at The Rider is made up of some of the most talented students at UTRGV and each one is determined to complete our mission.
On a more personal note, this will be my final year with The Rider since I am scheduled to graduate next spring. I have been here since before the merger of UTRGV.
I have witnessed this university go through all its ups and downs. I have reported on nearly all of them. And even though I may be on my way out, I still have a couple of good stories left in me.
I hope you enjoy your time here at UTRGV as much as I have enjoyed mine. This is a great university and there are endless possibilities; you just need to go out there and find them.
We are starting a brand-new academic year. Let’s make it the best one yet.
The Rider encourages letters but does not guarantee publication. We reserve the right to edit letters for grammar and content. Letters for The Rider may be sent to therider@utrgv. edu. All letters must be typed and no longer than 400 words. Letters must include the name, classification and phone number of letter’s author or the letter cannot be published. Opinions expressed in The Rider are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Rider or UTRGV administrators.
