Lorenzo Basilio/Daily Nexus

Dearest Everybody,

Welcome to Paradise!

My name is Emile Nelson and I’m the editor in chief of UCSB’s newspaper, the Daily Nexus. We have been around since 1930, and we’ve been student-run and independent ever since.

In the past 85 years, we have consistently won top rankings in competitions across the state and, in both 2012 and 2013, we were nationally ranked as a top-10 college newspaper by The Princeton Review. We were the only UC newspaper to receive that honor. But weirdly enough, we don’t actually have a journalism program at UCSB — which we consider to be one of our biggest advantages.

Because we are not funded or sponsored by the university, we are able to give the students an organic, uncensored voice that does not have to go through any type of university editing. This means we get to do things like publish a story that leads to the resignation of a corrupt chancellor who embezzled over $170,000 (1986, Steve Elzer on ex-Chancellor Robert Huttenback), and the university cannot stop it from being published.

We also get to do shit like say “shit,” because that’s how some students speak, and we have a duty to respect that creative decision. But the coolest part of being independent is that, each year, all of us get to make the Nexus exactly what we want it to be. All of us meaning the people who work here, sure, but also you, reader.

We have our history, traditions and our standards, but every day we have the opportunity to make this paper exactly what we want it to be. If you want to see more coverage on this, tell me! If you want to see less talk about that, tell me! If we messed up or continue to mess up, please tell me! I am as much your employee as anyone’s, and it’s my job to make sure that the content delivered to you is as perfect as it can be.

Imagine the Daily Nexus as your megaphone. If you have something to say — which I sincerely hope you all do — we’ll help you say it louder. And if you want to work with us, there’s always room. We have about 200 people working with us already, but this is a family that is always looking to grow.

Come visit us under Storke Tower, check out our orientation sessions on September 28 and 29 at 6:30 p.m., enjoy a free carnival and FMLYBND concert on September 22 from 1-4 p.m. in Storke Plaza and send me an email at eic@dailynexus.com.

So, whether it’s your first time on campus or your last first time on campus, welcome to paradise! I can’t wait to work with you all.

Sincerely,
Emile Nelson

A version of this story appeared on page 3 of the Thursday, August 27, 2015 print edition of the Daily Nexus.