Column by Matt Murray

It’s that time of year again — the Kernel bids farewell to a handful of its current staff members and begins organizing and recruiting for the upcoming year.

Last week I was selected as the editor-in-chief for the 2010-2011 school year, and while I am more than excited about the opportunity, it’s already time to get to work.

In order to form a unified staff, it is necessary to determine the mission of the Kernel for the upcoming year.

The Kernel looks to continue its service of informing the students of campus while serving as a watchdog, holding officials accountable for their actions and duties.

However, the Kernel also has the opportunity to contribute to community building on campus by exposing students to opportunities and events of which they may otherwise have been unaware.

Every staff is different, and next years’ will be no exception. However, we are always looking for new writers and aspiring journalists who are hoping to get involved.

The Kernel office may seem uninviting at times when the staff appears consumed with work, but that shouldn’t discourage students from dropping in. Interested students should feel free to stop by and see what they can do to contribute.

While having experience in journalism is certainly beneficial, students in other fields shouldn’t be discouraged to write for us. We have plenty of writers and editors on staff that aren’t majors in the field.

This week, beginning Tuesday and running through the end of the week, we will be holding interviews for the desk editor positions for our staff.

Posted in the Kernel office is a sign-up sheet, in addition to descriptions for each position. Students who wish to interview for a specific position can sign up to do so.

By the weekend, after the conclusion of interviews on Friday, the new staff will begin to take shape. It is an exciting time for the Kernel, as the incoming editors and writers will begin integrating with the current personnel and begin learning the techniques that allow us to produce a daily paper while balancing a course load.

It’s easy to forget that even as a student newspaper, we are one of the largest papers in the state of Kentucky.

At some point, each of us braved our way into the office that sits in the basement of the Grehan Journalism building for a chance to write a story. Persistence is essential. If you ask for a story and don’t get a response, keep coming back.

This week is a great opportunity to find an in. We are focused on organizing a new staff and finding ways to improve. New writers and aspiring editors are welcome, and it’s a great chance to get your foot in the door.

For those who may not be interested in writing regularly but have an opinion he or she wants to express, feel free to email [email protected] with your columns or letters to the editor.

Those with suggestions for what they would like to see in the Kernel for the upcoming year or with suggestions on how we could improve, feel free to email me at [email protected]. After all, our readers are what allow us to continue doing what we love every day.

Many readers have noticed that the Kernel has been pretty thin over a  stretch of this semester.

We, like everyone else, have felt the effects of the recession, but things are trending upward. As our pages begin to increase, so will our ability to bring you more content.

Every day we strive to create a product we are proud to see published and this is a trend we hope will only grow over the course of the upcoming year.

For those who want to be a part of our mission to hold local officials and representatives accountable, and contribute to community building on campus, we invite you to write for us or apply for an editor position.

Those who want to contribute in ways other than writing, we hope you’ll become a fan of the Kentucky Kernel on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and of course there is always www.50.63.25.108.