Welcome back, Gauchos! It’s great to see the campus bustling with life as the school year begins and we hope, whether you’re a first year or a fourth year, that you’re as excited as we are to start the 2010-11 year off on the right foot.

[media-credit id=20177 align=”alignleft” width=”250″][/media-credit]We’re excited to announce that this is the Nexus’ 80th anniversary. That’s right, we’ve been in print since 1930, when we were known as the Eagle and UC Santa Barbara was known as Santa Barbara State College. We’ve had a number of different titles throughout the past eight decades, although this publication has been known as the Daily Nexus since 1970 after the infamous Bank of America burning in Isla Vista. The editorial board chose the name from a Robert Maynard Hutchins quote, which reads, “A free press is the nexus of any democracy.” Previous names include the Roadrunner, El Gaucho, the University Post and the Daily Gaucho.

However, a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet and, no matter what, we have always been dedicated for 80 years to being a paper that is by the students and for the students.

This year, we will look to the Nexus’ past. Every week, we will print pictures, headlines and events from our archives. By highlighting the top moments in Nexus records, we hope to celebrate the history of our publication and educate our readers about some of the paramount moments at UCSB from 1930 to present.

However, we are also looking to the future. You may notice that our paper is three inches shorter and that there are far more pages printed in color than ever before. The Nexus now has a podcast studio set up in the office and we look forward to delivering new, up-to-speed online content to the UCSB community.

We have also had some changes in our administrative staff. Jerry Roberts, our publications director and student advisor for nearly four years, has retired in order to pursue his passion for writing. Everyone at the Nexus will miss this incredibly inspiring figure. Luckily for us, La Cumbre’s associate publications director Linda Meyer will be stepping up to the plate, and we can’t wait to start working with her.

Fellow Gauchos, I hope that you’re just as excited as we are for the 2010-11 year. The time is now to accomplish everything you want to. Get involved on campus, meet some new people and have the time of your life. If you’re interested in writing, copy editing, photography or art, come to the Nexus training session on Thursday, October 14 at 7 pm. It’s one of the best student jobs on campus and we can’t wait to add some new, enthusiastic students to our staff.

In conclusion, thank you to Jerry Roberts, Barb, JE, Keri, Linda and all of your predecessors. Without your hard work, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Also, thank you so much to all the Nexites who put in hard work during break to get the summer issues on the racks in addition to those of you who helped us make our transitions online and in print as smooth as possible.