Happy Wednesday and Happy New Year.
Despite being off for a month, the Torch has been hard at work improving our paper and how we report news. We’re excited to be back and able to implement these improvements.
Since taking our break began, we’ve focused on updating each section. At the Torch, we feel it’s important to be transparent about our goals. This allows you, our readership, to help hold us to them.

Before we highlight what you can expect from us in the Spring 2025 semester, we’d like to highlight what we introduced in Fall 2024.
Last semester saw the return of the Fire Pit, the Torch’s podcast. Under new podcast manager Liz Brown, we’ve been producing weekly installments featuring discussions about that week’s edition of the Torch and interviews with Ferris personalities. In our opinions section, we’ve re-introduced biweekly comics. Our cartoonist, Blake Flanery, brings back something the Torch hasn’t had consistently since 2019. In sports, we’ve prioritized same-day reporting and post-game recaps right after a game has ended. Alongside those same-day recaps, you can also find the final scores of home games for hockey, football, volleyball and both men’s and women’s basketball on @fsutorch on Instagram.
For Spring 2025, we aim to improve upon everything we’ve done. Furthering the Torch’s online presence is an overarching goal. We began a series called “Torch Asks” on YouTube and Instagram. We need to make that series more consistent, so our goal is to produce them on a biweekly basis.
Our news section is getting a minor revamp. On our production side, we’ve changed the section layout so it’s less “blocky.” Our “On the Record” section will have a permanent place on page four. We’ll also be able to feature smaller news stories or event information in a news briefs section. For a variety of quick news blurbs, Michigan, global and national news will permanently live on the side of page two.
For sports, we still aim to venture outside of in-print recaps. With our same-day reporting being available online, we’d like to focus on sports features, game previews and any storylines that Ferris’ various sports offer.
Culture will still be dedicated to focusing on the student community and representing the culture at our university. We’re making a small addition to the section, bringing back a small “Overheard on Campus” section. Put your eavesdropping to use. Message the Torch with the funniest thing you’ve heard on campus, and you might be featured.
Our opinions section wants to hear more from students and faculty. If you have an opinion about Ferris or something that’s going on in Big Rapids, message us. We also want to stoke debate and feature more side-by-side differing opinions in the section.
Finally, we’re planning on highlighting our photographers by featuring photo galleries on our website. We’ve begun this by posting our national championship gallery on our website.
We’re excited to bring some new and needed changes to our paper this semester. We make these changes to intrigue and interest, you, our readers, more and more.
As always, thanks for reading.