Welcome back!

We hope you are adjusting well to the new semester. There are plenty of activities to get involved in at the university, and we highly suggest joining the Torch! Changes on campus include: the campus bookstore rebranding, updated food choices in many of the food court locations, renovated bathrooms in Marillac, newly added signage to help navigate around campus and additional printing services in both DAC and Marillac.

When we left you last semester, the fate of the Torch office was yet to be determined. Over the summer, we were uncertain if we would need to move and, if so, where our new home would be. Ultimately, the Torch worked with Student Affairs to find a suitable space, and we just moved into our new office, which is located in O’Connor Hall.

The office entrance is located in the back of the building, through the gray door that reads “Learning Communities” and down the stairs. We encourage interested writers, designers, photographers and editors to stop by any time.

In this issue, our news section features profiles on two campus figures, the new president Dr. Conrado “Bobby” Gempesaw and the newly appointed associate vice president for Campus Ministry Tori Santangelo, who has been at St. John’s for over a decade. This is our first interview with Gempesaw and provides a personal insight into the ideas and goals of our new president. In general, the news section showcases the best events within St. John’s and the latest news happening all over the world.

The opinion section is a newer Torch feature and includes artwork and poetry by St. John’s students. Within the opinion section, students are able to express their concerns and thoughts on various subjects both within and outside of the university. Editor Alexa Vagelatos, (whose e-mail is [email protected]), is always looking for new contributors (as are all of our editors!).

In the lifestyle section, entertainment has all of the news about the latest music, fashion and movies, while features has a full-page article about Jumpstart, a volunteer program for low-income preschools. The lifestyle section, (a combination of the entertainment and features sections) showcases all of the latest celebrity news and the essence and interests of student life.

Soccer, golf and volleyball are among the teams highlighted in our sports section, which begins on page 15. The Sports section covers all of the Red Storm games and offers commentary on the various players and teams, often including profiles and statistics.