Jason Joyce

August marks the beginning of a new academic year and a time of transitions. The fall semester finds new students entering North Lake as well as old friends moving on to fi nish degrees at other colleges.

During the year I've spent here at North Lake, I've had experiences on this campus and with its students and faculty that have changed the way I feel about this school. I've been surprised and pleased by the extent to which North Lake comes together as a community.

As a writer, I've seen and experienced North Lake's community firsthand. I've seen the charitable donations - including clothes and food for the indigent - collected by Phi Theta Kappa. I've seen a college come together in the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy. In short, I've been impressed with what is sometimes viewed as 'just a community college.'

So, I hope you'll join me and so many other students who involve themselves in the life of this campus. Find an organization that interests you and become a member. Support your college sports teams. Enjoy the concerts and plays. They're free. Read The Blazer.

As editor of the North Lake News-Register it's my belief that the newspaper's focus should be firmly on the events and people that have an impact on the North Lake community. After all, a paper that doesn't serve the needs of its readership is an exercise in wasted time, money and effort.

For the News-Register to meet that goal - serving this college community - we need the help of our readers. At its best, I believe that news should be a two-way conversation. We need to know what matters to you, the reader. Disagree with a column or an article? Let us know about it. Fostering discussion and debate is great - not only for the News-Register, but for the North Lake community as well.

Of course, with a new editor comes change. It's possible you'll notice a few changes to the News- Register over the next several issues. Most will be minor, but some may seem more significant departures from how things have been done in the past. I hope you'll find them as exciting as I do.

Cosmetic changes to a paper are inevitable. However, some things will remain constant, such as the fair, accurate reporting of stories found in the pages of the News- Register.