As students, we have certain things in common. We sleep (sometimes), we go to class, we eat, we drink (a lot of water, and probably other substances as well) and at least occasionally, we study. In addition to these other essentials, 81 percent of UA students surveyed last semester by Arizona Student Media choose to spend a portion of their precious time reading the Arizona Daily Wildcat.

I can remember the semester during my sophomore year when the comic strip “”Hamsters in the Microwave”” first appeared in these pages. Up until that time, the Daily Wildcat and I had a very casual relationship, meeting once a week or so during dull moments in class. But once I discovered that comic, finding a copy of the newspaper became my first task when I hit campus every morning.

From that initial entry point, I began to follow the daily editorials, which I rarely agreed with, and by the end of the semester, the comic had left the paper but I had stayed on as a daily reader. A year later, when I had a bit more time in my schedule, I applied for a page design job, and here we are.

For the past 110 years, this student newspaper and its predecessors have informed the constantly growing community that is The University of Arizona. As the custodian of this tradition for a semester, I look back on the role the piece of paper you hold in your hands has played in the shaping of our alma mater, from criticizing presidents and uncovering controversy to documenting the daily life of the school. There are big changes happening right now at the UA, and we are on the beat working to bring you the story first and explain how it will affect you.

Over more than a century, the Daily Wildcat has become an inseparable part of this place, and one of my primary goals as editor in chief is to make sure that you feel the newspaper is also an essential part of your life here. Over the course of these next four months, I hope that you will have the opportunity to know me, our columnists, editors and reporters, both through these pages and in person around campus. To do my part, I’ll be using this space every week or so to let you know what’s going on with the Daily Wildcat, and maybe to give you a little insight into why we do what we do.

But more than anything, I’d like you to know that you are a part of this newspaper, and that the role you play is every bit as important as mine.

If you spot something unusual on your way to class, I hope you’ll let the news desk know just the same as you’d send a text message to your friend. Look for us at events all over campus, not only as reporters but also on occasion as participants and organizers. Write a letter to the editor or a guest column if you’ve got a strong opinion about something. And if you’ve ever dreamed of being a reporter, or a columnist, or an illustrator, or a page designer – well, I hope you’ll drop by our newsroom and apply.

One way or another, keep in touch, so we can stay in touch with you.

Nickolas Seibel is the editor in chief of the Daily Wildcat. He can be reached at 621-7579 or at editor@wildcat.arizona.edu.