Dear readers,
Over the last 12 months, both the University of Colorado Boulder and the CU Independent have undergone extraordinary challenges and historic changes.
I, Jessica Sachs, took office as the Editor-in-Chief of this publication in May 2024, closing a year marked by turbulent campus protests, sexual misconduct concerns, the rising use of AI, the appointment of a new chancellor and much more.
Throughout the last year, it has become clear that our work is more important than ever. As student journalists, we are in the unique position to hold campus leadership accountable, bring local perspectives to national conversations and inform the CU and Boulder communities.
At the time of my appointment, the future of the CUI appeared at a crossroads. While our commitment to ethical, factual and timely reporting remains the same, some executive functions of our publication required TLC – lovingly provided by our incredible managing staff and network of supporters.
To everyone who has helped us get where we are today – thank you. Thank you for donating your time and resources, for sharing with us your stories and, most importantly, thank you all for reading.
We could not be more excited to share with you what the CUI has been up to and to provide a preview into another year of serving our community.
To begin with, the most prevalent of our many projects: welcome to the CU Independent’s new digital home. After years of technical complications that often impeded our mission to report in a timely manner, our managing staff (and a god-sent team of supporters in computer science) were able to successfully build the CUI an entirely new website from the ground up. Our new website boasts increased security and, most importantly, increased reliability so we can bring you news as it breaks.
We also recently worked with the Rocky Mountain Collegian to jointly produce our first print newspaper since 2006 in honor of the Rocky Mountain Showdown. The collaboration led us to work with The Denver Post to shed light on a topic near to our hearts: the challenges and triumphs of leading student media.
Our staff has swelled to numbers unseen in my own experience with the CUI. We’re proud to have hired eight new editors, in addition to seven returning editors from the year prior, and countless new staff writers and photographers, all bringing with them immeasurable talent, experience and unique perspectives.
We’ve welcomed professional journalists – and plan to continue to do so – to our weekly meetings, upholding our mission of molding the next generation of journalists and supporting them on their paths to success.
On Oct. 24, the CUI will be hosting and moderating a debate between Elliott Hood and Eric Rinard, two candidates for CU Regent at-large, in conjunction with Rocky Mountain Community Radio. We will also be continuing our tradition of live coverage on election night, a time-honored practice made all the more important by the hot-button presidential race and a total of 14 statewide and local ballot measures.
Our triumphs are not limited to just those above. Each day, our editorial board is proud to pass on the traditions of the CUI and student media. With each new staff member we watch fall in love with journalism and each community member whose voice we help amplify, we are reminded that these are the greatest triumphs of all.
Elizabeth Hernandez of The Denver Post said it best: “the student journalists accustomed to documenting history were also making it.”
Our staff has spent the last few months both documenting and making history. We invite you, our readers, to join us as witnesses.
Regards,
Jessica Sachs, Editor-in-Chief
