From all of the editors at the Lanthorn, congratulations on making it to the end of the semester! It’s been a hectically busy 15 weeks right from the start, but we’d like to take a moment to thank you for letting the Lanthorn document and report on all the events that have happened in the Grand Valley State University community since Aug. 24.

Since then, we’ve published more than 690 articles, spanning a national championship soccer team to new student organizations to legislative proposals. We’ve published 30 issues of the Lanthorn, and we’re grateful to everyone who has picked up a newspaper at any point during the semester.

At the beginning of the semester, our editors set forth to report on all the news we could, in the attempt to make sure our readers are the most informed, engaged members of the GVSU community they could possibly be. Our guiding principle for the year is that “The people must know before they can act, and there is no educator to compare with the press.” These words rang true when Ida B. Wells spoke them, and we’ve done our best to embody them.

We’ve printed more than 90,700 copies of the Lanthorn this semester, and we’re looking forward to printing even more next semester. Next semester, make sure to stay tuned for all the news, features and sports we’re excited to see unfold. We’ll also be adding some more options to our arsenal, including podcasts and more multimedia elements online at www.lanthorn.com. Visit our website often, as you’ll start to see some changes to it as the semester unfolds.

Combining our print and online readership, we are proud to report that our readership is stronger than 20,000 on a weekly basis. The Lanthorn has brought news of diversity issues, an alumnus who gave his life fighting wildfires and state appropriations to those 20,000 readers. Next semester, we’ll continue to bring those kinds of stories to our readers, along with more investigative pieces.

For the first time in recent history, the Lanthorn editors have set aside time every single week to make ourselves available for the GVSU community to tell us what they think. We will continue to hold weekly office hours next semester, every Tuesday from 2:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. in our office, Room 0051 in the lower level of the Kirkhof Center.

Our most important function as a newspaper is to act as a public forum for our community, and we encourage all members of the Laker family to feel free to tell us what you think. If you have something you’d like to say, publish or propose to the Lanthorn, contact us at [email protected] or (616) 331-2464.

It has been an honor to be the news source of GVSU this semester, and we look forward to continuing to serve the students, faculty and staff for the winter 2016 semester.

Until then, we wish everyone happy holidays and a joyful new year!