When the Big Ten canceled fall sports and MSU moved a majority of fall classes online, we carefully reconsidered our print schedule for the fall 2020 semester.

So, what does this mean for our readers?

Our staff will continue to work tirelessly to bring you the news you need about these strange, ever-evolving, and uncertain circumstances.

The change to our print schedule means the stories you see in the biweekly issue will carry more depth concerning trends, in-depth analysis, features, and more.

We have a dedicated Campus Desk and City Desk to bring an extensive focus to all things Michigan State and all things East Lansing. There are fewer opportunities for sports news and thus fewer resources for sports coverage this fall, but we still have a team to write about the intricacies of MSU athletics.

Additionally, I’m excited to announce the creation of a new area of coverage — the Culture Desk — which will seek to represent our student community thoughtfully and accurately with the same persistence as our other sections.

We are also strengthening our efforts for audience engagement and multimedia as the demand for our digital presence continues to rise.

Throughout the remainder of the spring semester, as well as this summer, our online audience has grown in light of the intensity of current events.

When MSU classes moved online the first time in March, The State News halted print production and immediately transitioned to weekly digital print editions. Since then, our online traffic has increased by 50% with a 30% increase in page views.

While 2020 has brought hardship, confusion, frustration, and countless other emotions, the year is more than halfway over. The State News will continue our mission to provide news and information that is diverse, trusted, ethical, accurate, fair and balanced. We will get through these times together.

Be on the lookout for our Welcome Week edition this Tuesday and the following print issues every other Tuesday. You can also view them online.

This decision, like many others, is temporary and subject to change as we receive new information.

The State News has served MSU students for more than a century. This isn’t our first crisis. This isn’t even our first pandemic.

We will continue to publish and flourish with a new staff starting this week. I’ll be the first to say we have plenty of work to do. We’re going to make mistakes, but we’ll be sure to learn from them too.