Earlier this week, Imprint hosted its annual general meeting. The results of this meeting form the cornerstone of great changes that Imprint will see over the next year.
At this year’s AGM we updated our bylaws, approved a brand new three-year strategic plan, elected new directors for the 2015-2016 year, approved next year’s budget, and approved a $1 increase to the Imprint fee.
Imprint’s fee has sat at $3.30 for over 14 years, without ever adjusting for inflation. So, after a lot of conversation, deliberation, and research, we decided to move ahead with the increase. In 2001, we were just a newspaper, and the newspaper industry wasn’t struggling quite like it is now. Now we offer online content and video, and over the next year, that list will grow longer.
The other large change that Imprint is about to see is a change in day of publication. For the last 37 years, Imprint has been distributed on a Friday. Unfortunately, Friday is a notoriously bad day for news. West Wing fans might remember Friday being referred to as “take out the trash day” when it comes to news, because people are simply not paying attention right before the weekend. So, starting with our first publication in the spring term, Imprint will be distributed on Wednesdays.
Another change you will notice come summer is the shape and size of our paper. We are moving to a standard tabloid size which doesn’t fold when it sits on the rack, allowing you to enjoy the entire front page before you even pick it up. This is the first in a long line of design changes we’re planning to make to the paper.
We’d also like to take our newspaper content in a new direction. For many years, we’ve focused on hard news, mostly student-oriented — the same type of news you would find on our website, and the same type of news we will continue to cover on our website and in the news portion of the newspaper. But we will also start to feature more magazine-style pieces, giving students — both writers and readers — the opportunity to explore more fascinating subject matter.
Ultimately, this is an era of change for Imprint; a time when we can test new waters, change our minds, and go the extra mile to give students the best product possible.
There are still some things that will never change at Imprint, like the volunteer opportunities we provide to students to help them build their portfolio, learn new things, and become experts in non-academic areas. We already provide opportunities for reporters, proofreaders, photographers, videographers, graphic designers, and layout designers, and we’re hoping to expand that list to offer opportunities for audio/visual specialists, video hosts, producers, and more.
I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t remind you that you are the reason we work so hard at Imprint. Whether you choose to walk into our office (SLC 1116), or you’d prefer to tweet (@uwimprint), email (editor@uwimprint.ca), or send a carrier pigeon, we want to hear from you. Great changes are in our future, but the right changes rest on knowing where we want to go. And we can only know where we want to go if you tell us. We’re listening.
