EDITORIAL

Not exactly an editorial — (But a fiendishly clever facsimile thereof)

hristmas is a-coming, and there’s any number of things I could have filled the editorial stocking with this week- like musings on how many extra billions of deficit dollars those Conservative grinches left under the tree, or some more traditional holiday topic such as the over-commercialization of the holiday originally meant to cel- ebrate the birth of Christ; however, as this is the last X-Press of the semester, I thought I’d take the time to announce to you, the readers, the major changes that are ahead for this publication in the New Year. No joke- the X-Press is undergoing a significant transformation in a number of respects, and it’s important that you know about it. If you have any interest in the X-Press and its future, read on. ‘ Firstly, the X-Press will be switching formats over the Christmas break, from our current magazine format to a more newspaper-like tabloid format. Why, you may ask? There’s many reasons, but the bottom line is money. Our specialized magazine format takes longer to print, wastes large amounts of paper, and costs about twice as much as comparable tabloid printing. Furthermore, the printer that handles the job is in Summerside, adding time delays and courier costs to the mix. The magazine format is very handy, convenient, and attractive, and I myself am one of its biggest fans; however, in light of the immense extra cost it entails, we have often wondered if the format is, perhaps, a reckless extravagance, an abuse of our student funding. We figured we owed it to you, and to ourselves, to at least try to produce a good-quality newspaper- format publication, and put the resultant savings to use in other aspects of the paper’s operation. If we are successful, it will have all been worth the considerable effort this task will hold for us. If not, we can always go

The X-Press © Wants You! ) '

Do you love the X-Press? Do you hate it? ; Do you want to have a say in how it’s run?

- If so, and if you’re a student with no Student Union or X-Press affiliations, you’re eligible to become the student representative on the new X-Press Board of

Directors, the administrative body that will oversee the ‘operations of the X-Press. It will meet twice a semester — or whenever board members deem a meeting necessary, — and will vote on matters concerning the funding and operations of the X-Press. If you care about your stu- dent paper, apply to become a board member- just drop: by the X-Press office, phone us at 566-0629, or E-Mail us at ‘‘X-Press’’. Candidates will be evaluated impar- tially by the X-Press and the U.P.E.I. Student Union. - We look forward to hearing from you. _

back to the drawing board. Keep an eye onus in the months ahead. If you like what you see, tell us. If you don’t like what you’re seeing, we want to hear about that, too. It is the students who fund the paper, and they should have a say in shaping it. If the university community decides overwhelmingly that magazine format is the best alternative despite the costs and complications, then there’s always the chance we could switch back to it in future semesters. For now, we’re committed to testing the tabloid waters. It’ll be new to us, too, so bear with us as we try to work the bugs out of our altered production. With a little luck and hard work,

‘we may pleasantly surprise you.

Current plans call for the new X-Press to be printed in Charlottetown, which bodes well for the convenience and quickness of our printing and distribution in the immediate future; moreover, our new presses may give us the opportunity to experiment with some new printing techniques, such as a greater use of colour. There is a lot of potential in our prospective arrangements, and we’re excited about the aesthetic possibilities and increased page area this process can bring- we’ll be getting more page for less, and may be able to do more with those pages.. That may well make up for any loss of portability or convenience afforded by our smaller magazine format.

There’s more good news- our Christmas gift to you, so to speak- when we switch to our new format, we will return to our regular weekly schedule again. Since printing costs are so much less, the responsible thing to do seemed to be returning to a weekly schedule- boy, though, we’re gonna miss those weeks off. Ah, well...

In unrelated developments, the X-Press is in the midst of drafting its first-ever constitution, and as part of that we’re taking on greater autonomy from the Student Union, similar to CIMN. As a result, the X- Press will thereafter be supervised by a Board of Directors made up of X- Press and Student Union representatives, as well as one ** student at large’, that is, a student with no connection to the X-Press or Student Union. I mention this since our student at large is as yet unchosen, and if any of you are interested in having more direct input into your student paper, you can apply for the spot on the Board. No experience or special skills are necessary, though selection will be contingent upon approval by the X-Press and the Student Union.

Ona less earth-shattering note, the X-Press now has an E-mail account (‘‘xpress’’ on the novell system), so it’ll be even easier for all of you to get in touch with us in the months to come.

There are many more changes and upcoming projects I could discuss in this space, but my long-neglected studies beckon and the end of the page draws nigh, so I may as well quit while I’m ahead. For the New Year, remember that, as always, we welcome your submissions and encourage your participation in the X-Press. It’s never too early or too late to get involved- there’ s something for everybody- and we value every volunteer we have. Speaking of which, I’d like to thank this year’s volunteer staff for their hard work and dedication- you are quite probably the finest staff this paper has had during my four years here, and I look forward to your continued participation. The same goes for the paid staff, a saintly, thankless lot in their own right. And, of course, a heartfelt thanks to our readers, without whom this would not be possible. We'll see you again in January, but until then- Merry Christmas to all, and may your holidays be peaceful, contented and productive.

Sean McQuaid, Editor-in-Chief

December 2, 1993/X-Press/3