January marks the beginning of a new year as well as new resolutions for much of the country. We often set year-long goals that seek to improve what we see as our weakest attributes. We devote ourselves to eating healthier, exercising more, being better students, and generally coming closer to our ideal selves. While many resolutions never make it past Jan. 31, the value of raising the standard with which we hold ourselves to is one that The University Star has internalized through and through.
2018 will be a year just as eventful as any, there will be great triumphs and causes for celebration, and likewise there will be devastating losses as is the nature of the world. However, in a time where the negative seemingly gets more airtime than the positive, and sometimes the bad guys win, it is important that we as academics and as citizens remain steadfast.
We cannot be repulsed by the exchange of ideas, and we cannot be fatigued by the labor of challenging the status quo. Even when political ideologies clash in a monotonous fashion we cannot allow ourselves to slip into civic apathy. Because regardless of what party or regime is in control, if the citizens do not hold them accountable, then no one will.
The University Star is committed to the responsibility of accountability on a national scale as well as within the scope of Texas State and the San Marcos community. The war against principalities and powers is a long fought battle but it will be fought valiantly with information and reason, not hatred. We will strive to uphold a freedom of ideas, diversity of opinions, a community of inclusiveness and fairness, transparency and accountability, constructive conversation and above all, we will inform and educate our community as are our values as a publication.
The Main Point aims to uphold these values. This column stands as an outlier to the rest of the columns in the opinion section because unlike the others, The Main Point represents the entire editorial board. Throughout the course of the year, The University Star editorial board will take a stance on the most pertinent of issues that pertain to our society.
The resolution of civic engagement cannot be allowed to fall off like other resolutions. In order to prevent this falter, The University Star will devote 2018 to raising the standard of journalism that we provide in our publication. We will operate with an optimism that is not obstructed by the mistakes of the past but rather informed by the lessons of history.
Whether it be through news, opinions, sports, or lifestyle; The Star has been reconfigured to serve the San Marcos community with a vigor greater than years past. As our motto states, we have defended the first amendment since 1911 and will continue to do so indefinitely. We hope that our readers will join us in this mission.