The coincidence of Wednesday, September 7 could not have been more timely. On that day, the129-year old Newspaper Association of America eliminated “Newspaper” from its title and became the News Media Alliance. It was also the day of my first meeting with the 2016-17 staff of The Rambler.

It’s only fitting that in such a pivotal and historic moment for the news industry, relevant changes have come to The Rambler, including my arrival as Transy’s new Student Media Advisor.

But before I share some details of those changes, allow me to introduce myself.

I’m a native of Morehead and was a communications major at Morehead State University when opportunity struck and I began a lifelong career in broadcast, print and online news. High points have included serving as a member of the founding staff of Associated Press Radio Network News in Washington, D.C., as well as the founding staff of RKO Radio Network News, ABC Radio Network News and WABC News in New York. I was the founding Editor in Chief of Business Lexington and am now a columnist for the Lexington Herald-Leader with a companion feature airing on WEKU, and co-publisher of the online cultural affairs magazine UnderMain (under-main.com)

Amazing changes in media have taken place during those years, ranging from the invention of FM radio to the arrival of digital technology. But nothing compares to the paradigm shift occurring today as Transy students prepare to make their way in this world.

The Newspaper Association of America had until Sept. 7 admitted only those organizations with print components. The change in title signifies recognition that professional, digital-only news is here to stay.

Fittingly, the Rambler has transitioned from a campus newspaper to a campus news and information organization. The newspaper is moving to a bi-weekly print schedule to enable more emphasis on its online presence. In fact, there now will be not one but two Rambler websites. transyrambler.com will remain the familiar “go to” resource for news and information about what’s happening on campus and in the surrounding community, while ramblerextra.com (now under construction) will serve as a multi-media platform for video, podcasts, and photography.

I’m looking forward to leading training sessions on topics ranging from newsroom ethical dilemmas and First Amendment challenges to coverage selection, interviewing technique, and fact-checking. And we’ll host special guests, experts in various forms of media, to share their perspectives.

Under the very capable leadership of Editor in Chief Megan Graft and Managing Editor Madison Crader, our staff includes News Editor Jennifer Pinto, Creative Director Tyler Lega, Campus life editor Aaron Martin, Opinion editor Tristan Reynolds and A&E editor Christopher Perez.

If you are interested in becoming a content contributor, contact Megan at mjgraft18@transy.edu or me at tmartin@transy.edu.

Feel welcome to drop by. The Rambler newsroom is now located in Forrer room 042, adjacent to the lobby.

In an era of health apps, Fitbits, and calorie counting, many students are increasingly seeking out healthier dining options. The closure of the 1780 (the flatbread café in Thompson lobby) puts Transy in a unique situation to address this cultural shift and promote a healthier lifestyle among students. Though the 1780 was formerly one of the healthier options on campus, it should not be viewed as a loss but rather as an opportunity to improve the healthy dining options on campus.

Current dining options do not adequately provide enough healthy alternatives. While the Caf and Jazzman’s offer some healthy options, they are quite limited- unless you want to eat the same foods day in and day out. Vegetables and healthier options in the Caf are packed with sodium and restrictive for students seeking vegetarian or vegan diets, while Jazzman’s only offers a limited selection of salads and sandwiches during lunch hour. These options are certainly a better choice than eating the fried options at the Raf, but leave something to be desired for students seeking organic, vegetarian, or truly healthy options.

Transy should open- or persuade Sodexo to open- a fresh, healthy dining option to replace the 1780 and help students achieve their health goals. There is a serious lack of variety of fresh fruit on campus, and having a venue that sold fresh fruit at a reasonable price would be a more convenient alternative to expensive store-bought fruit. More salad, sandwich, wrap, hummus, and yogurt options consolidated into one place with a side of fresh fruit would be alluring to many students seeking healthier options. Fruit smoothies and nuts would be welcome additions as well for healthier snacking. These options would also provide great opportunities to connect Transy with the local farmers and support local food sources. Recent efforts to break the Transy bubble and buy local have emerged on campus, and creating a steady partnership with the local community through food service is a sure way both to involve and enrich the local area. If we are serious about expanding into the community beyond the campus’ borders, we first must bring the local community into our borders and create mutually beneficial partnerships with them- and fresh food can help bridge that gap.

I recognize that a healthy dining option would require a more extensive budget and additional upkeep, but fostering healthy choices on campus has ramifications beyond satisfying a generational fad. The eating habits and choices students make in college have a direct impact on their health for the remainder of their lives. Besides immediate weight changes, eating habits in college strongly impact eating habits later in life, as well as can promote or discourage exercise. Eating healthy offers the immediate benefits of sustained energy and better physical performance. A 2012 study published in Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism found that nearly 70 percent of college students gain weight before graduation, and the average weight gained is 12 pounds. Maintaining or losing weight in college is no easy task, and Transylvania should do everything in their power to aid students by equipping them with proper nutrition.  The school has invested plenty of money in the athletic and exercise portion of health with the newly upgraded athletic facilities, and the same importance should be placed on diet.

Though many students do not feel a need to eat healthy- and that is certainly their prerogative- those who want to be healthy should not be deterred from their mission nor feel constrained by the food options. Replacing the 1780 with a new, healthy option would diversify and strengthen the dining options at Transy. Transy needs to stay competitive in keeping up with student needs if Transy is to continue attracting high-caliber students. Plus, given that most students pay for a meal plan, they should be able to find healthy alternatives to get the greatest value for their money. The high price of room and board should cover not just foods students find acceptable, but also a reasonable variety and value of food. Best of all, a healthy venue would return a dining option to Thompson lobby without the overpowering smell and hazy smoke of the 1780.

Hello World!

My name is Tristan Reynolds. I am your Opinion Editor for the year. While the title sounds Orwellian (editing opinions sounds like nothing so much as Maoist purification), the job is anything but. If The Rambler is your voice on campus, then I am your megaphone. My job, as I see it and as I will carry it out going forward, is to facilitate discussion between both members of the Transy community, and between communities within Transy. While these discussion are already happening, my goal this year is to bring them out of the late-night dorm bull sessions, out of the student group meetings, out of the Greek house, out of the library, out of the conversations on the way to class, maybe even out of the classroom (though we all know nothing worthwhile ever goes on in there—ha!) and into a venue where everyone can both listen in and contribute to the discussion. If that sounds somewhat vague, perhaps I can clarify it: I want you (yes, you there, in the back, on Tumblr) to contribute to The Rambler.

My job is to make these conversations happen; it’s also to tease out the ideas in these conversations and put them up on a big shiny digital billboard. One of the quotes most frequently misattributed to Mark Twain states that small-minded people discuss people, medium-minded people discuss events, and broad-minded people discuss ideas. (Relatedly, an actual Oscar Wilde quote reminds us that where wit is absent, quotation will suffice to imitate it.) I am going to work to make the Rambler Opinion Section a place where any idea, no matter how unconventional, bizarre, impractical or naïve, or even offensive, can be aired and then debated. Doing that will require engagement from you, readers. It will require a commitment to hearing out different, challenging perspectives on closely-held issues. That can be hard, I know; sometimes all I want to do is throttle someone who is so obviously wrong that it hurts my brain. But we’ve got to resist that impulse if we ever want to get anywhere. And I have no doubt, whatsoever, that anyone who’s read this far into this column can do it.

My job is to get those ideas and bring them out into the open. So if you have an idea (and I know for a fact you do, if only because having at least one weird, harebrained idea is a prerequisite for choosing to come to Transy), I want to hear it. You can email me at tpreynolds19@transy.edu. I’m serious. Go do it.

My job is also to make this space about people. Ideas come from somewhere, and that somewhere is usually a person’s brain. (Occasionally ideas can only be traced back to a person’s… well, let’s call it posterior. But we don’t talk about that.) One of the surest way I’ve ever found to get really engaged with someone is to know a bit about them. So I want to hear your stories. I want to hear about where you came from; we’ve all wound up here at Transy, for better or for worse, but we all come from different places. So I want to hear about that. I want to hear about the story of your life. I want to hear about that time you went fishing with your grandpa and it made you appreciate that he hadn’t died yet. I want to hear about the time somebody judged you for your accent (looking at you, newly Dr. Silas House) or your skin color, or which religious pendant you have around your neck. I want to hear about the time you wrote bad poetry and realized you’d never be a poet. Whether the experience was tragedy or farce, I want to hear about it.

You don’t have to be a good writer. You can tell that’s true because you’re reading this, and they still made me the Opinion Editor. For some reason. You just have to be honest. And willing to take that first leap off the cliff. I’ll be waiting to catch you and hand you a megaphone. Because that’s my job.