To the UC Davis community,
On behalf of The California Aggie, I want to personally thank you all for your continued readership and engagement this quarter. A newspaper is nothing without its readers and its community, and we appreciate you taking the time to grab a copy of The Aggie on your way to class or lunch over the past few months.
The transition from an online-only publication to a regular print publication has been difficult and time-intensive, but The Aggie’s staff has absolutely stepped up and risen to the challenge, setting a tone and expectation of professionalism that will hopefully resonate for years to come.
To the local businesses and campus departments who have worked to advertise with us thus far, thank you for investing in local media and supporting student journalism. One of our main goals this year is to rebuild relationships with local and national businesses, so we encourage both Davis businesses and student organizations to utilize The Aggie as a medium to reach thousands of UC Davis students and community members. The Aggie has brought in nearly $18,000 in advertising revenue so far, and these numbers should continue to grow as we work to develop an advertising staff.
As we have moved back into print, we have constantly looked for ways to responsibly manage and analyze our environmental footprint on this campus. We have streamlined our distribution locations to ensure that copies of The Aggie are effectively getting into the hands of the members of this community and are not going to waste. If any of this article’s readers have any concerns or recommendations for current or new distribution spots, I encourage you to send me an email and let me know.
Regarding feedback, The Aggie welcomes respectful, constructive criticism. Is there a opinion column you disagree with? Send us a “letter to the editor” and let us know. Is there something happening on campus or in the city that you think we can do a better job of covering? Let us know! We can always improve — external feedback is a key mechanism in improving the quality of our work.
Moving forward, we have specific steps that will help us to promote positive business practices, drive engagement and expand our presence in the community. We hope to hire a professional business development staffer, who will seek to find and develop innovative ways of bringing in revenue. We have also begun working on defining a process to digitize our 100-plus years of microfilm archives, which will provide unique, in-depth insight to the history of this institution and community.
With one quarter, 10 print issues and hundreds of articles now complete this year, I can say with certainty that the future of The Aggie is as bright as it has been in years. We will continue to work every day to keep the UC Davis community informed, active and engaged.
The Aggie hires quarterly and is always looking for new voices and diverse viewpoints. Keep an eye out on our social media pages for information regarding Winter Quarter hiring periods, and make sure to pick up a copy of The Aggie in print each Thursday.
Happy holidays, and we’ll see you in January.
Scott Dresser, Editor in Chief
