For The Hullabaloo, the year starts in May when the staff turns over, but that does not mean that the new year is meaningless for us. Every year, we too make an annual resolution. For us this resolution is not about committing to a new fad or resolving to do something extraordinarily different this year. We resolve to look at The Hullabaloo’s recent past to prepare for changes for the future. New Year’s acts as a reminder to check in on previous goals rather than to set new ones.

In the fall everyone on staff set personal and group goals for the academic year. We readdressed them and evaluated progress on them before the winter break. Now we look deeper with one-on-one progress evaluations to grow from last semester to now and beyond. By looking back we are able to prepare for changes to come.

This year will bring more than usual with shifts not only in the media landscape but also at Tulane and in Louisiana. Tulane is experiencing a time of transition with many top administration positions in areas like academic affairs, admissions, athletics and university relations turning over. New Orleans and Louisiana will also see changes with the election of John Bel Edwards, the state’s first Democratic governor since 2008.

This is not to say that The Hullabaloo will be impacted structurally by these shifts. Rather they present new opportunities for reporting and building relationships. We seek to serve as the eyes and ears of the Tulane community and new leadership allows us to do so on a deeper level.

I believe that this resolution of reflection and preparation is one that everyone can adopt. Rather than resolving to double coverage or introduce new technology to The Hullabaloo at the arbitrary start of the New Year, we resolve to keep to our resolutions and goals all year round, continuing to strive for quality reporting. Jan. 1 serves as a reminder to keep moving forward.