Hello reader! Welcome back to Ferris State University and thanks for picking up the Torch or checking it out online.
The words and photos upon this page are the fruits of labor courtesy of about 20 student reporters, photographers, editors and more. The Torch is run entirely by students and its primary focus is serving over 10,000 Ferris State students that call the Big Rapids campus home.
It is our goal to keep the Ferris community up to date on things ranging from overtime victories in Ewigleben Arena and fun events hosted on campus to marijuana complaints in the residence halls and scandals in administrative offices.
We also hope to act as a bullhorn for any student or group hoping to speak to a large audience. Do you have an interesting event or unique project coming up? Tell us about it and we’ll put it on blast. Do you have strong, well-researched opinions on issues pertaining to Ferris State or college students? Write us a column to publish in the opinions section.
The Torch has been in existence for 85 years not as a weekly university yearbook, but rather as a tool for the Ferris community to utilize. We are your resource to make use of, Bulldogs.
There are slated to be 29, 16 page newspapers published this academic year, which amounts
to 464 pages of news, sports, lifestyles and opinions. In addition to these sources of hard news, the
Torch staff also dons its satire hats for a 4-page insert loaded with fabricated stories and absurdity called the Tire Fire once a month.
The content of the Tire Fire is geared towards explaining news stories through humor and hyperbole as opposed to traditional reporting. It is uncouth not to offend a specific person or group, but to provoke thought in a unique way.
Most buildings on campus and many businesses throughout Big Rapids see a steady supply of Torch newspapers delivered on a weekly basis every Tuesday, and every article published plus web-exclu- sive content can be accessed at fsutorch.com.
Because of the nature of reporting, there are sometimes instances in which things slip through the cracks. Mistakes are made or stories have to be placed on the back-burner until the following week to make deadlines.
At the Torch, we’re always look- ing for ways to improve and better represent the diverse Ferris State community. If anyone ever has any questions, comments, concerns, story suggestions, etc., we can be reached directly at fsutorcheditor@ gmail.com or through our office phone at (231) 591-5978.
Here’s to another great year at Ferris State.