Happy weekend, Saints, and welcome back to another school year. My name is Matt Thibault and I will be taking over as the editor of the Opinions section this year. I am excited to have the opportunity to work with this content, as it has shown to be a consistently strong section, conducive to both discussion and causing controversy. Travis Hamre did a great job last year, and I hope to be able to fill his shoes.

I want to make a commitment to you all, as a university and as a student body that represents an amalgamation of different beliefs, priorities, and views of the world. And, in return, I want you all to make a promise to me. This bargain is about, quite simply, our involvements. When we all made the choice to attend St. Lawrence, we made the choice to embrace a tight-knit community of people who, at the root of it all, care about each other. We have to, because both Canton and this campus are too small for us to not get along. And, not only do we care about each other, we care about what happens around us all. We band together for Teal Week and Take Back the Night, show up for Homecoming and Winter Weekend, go crazy at Wet Hot and Springfest, and we come together to hate ourselves when it comes to the Midnight Breakfast of Finals Week. SLU Democrats, SLU Republicans, the Young Americans for Liberty, Model UN, Euphrates, Spectrum, the Dub, MIC, Carefree Black Girls, these organizations and so many more represent all the different causes that people around our campus are committed to, with many members overlapping between these organizations and others.

My first promise to you is that I will do my best to make sure that everyone will get their seat at the table. I will work hard to make sure that if someone wants to say their piece, then I will do my best to make sure that you get to say your piece, no holds barred. When I am not running around like a maniac, I will be willing to meet with anyone who feels passionate about issues facing something as large as the world or as small as the technology that goes into our phones and the internet. I want to be accessible, approachable, and I will work hard to make sure that all the voices on this campus, reaching from all over the world, will have the chance to be heard loud and clear. If you feel quiet, I want to give you the tools to speak out.

This is where you all come in. In return for this, I want you all to make a promise to me. I want you all to promise that if there is something that burns in you, something that you feel very passionate about, that you come and write about it. I want you all to take the opportunity to make your voice heard, and let others know. The Hill News is driven on the strength of both its participants and its readers. We provide the platform for students to be heard, and I want you all to promise me that you will take advantage of that platform.  Dialogue is best when there are two participants. Engage with your peers. Let the community know what you think and what you feel.

I am excited to work with you all, and I can already feel that this is going to be a great year. Keep focused, keep thinking, and keep caring about your passions and each other. I hope to meet new writers soon.