As a new student at St. Edward’s University, you might be wondering how you can stay informed. That is where the Hilltop Views comes in.

Hilltop Views is St. Edward’s University’s weekly, student-run newspaper. Hilltop Views is funded by the School of Humanities and advertising revenue raised by our student ad sales reps. Our offices are located in Andre Hall 116 and 117. The paper hits newsstands every Wednesday morning during the academic school year.

We have a two-week production schedule, which means writers begin working on stories two weeks early and turn them in a week before they come out. Thus, the print edition of Hilltop Views features content about past two weeks on campus.

We also produce an online edition, found at hilltopviewsonline.com. This semester, we hope to update online content several times a week. The website is where you can find our most timely content.

Our print edition includes four sections: “News,” “Life and Arts,” “Sports” and “Viewpoints.” The “News” section provides a rundown of news on campus, including updates on things like construction and Student Government Association.

“Life and Arts” covers arts and entertainment on and off campus. This section also features profiles on people in the community. Our “Sports” section covers NCAA and club sports, in addition to commentary on professional sports.

In “Viewpoints,” writers argue educated positions on a variety of issues. “Viewpoints” is the only section in the paper that does not require ubiased writing. In fact, the op-ed writing in “Viewpoints” is biased by nature.

Each week, the Viewpoints section also includes “Our View,” which you are currently reading. “Our View” is written by the editorial board, which includes the “Viewpoints” editors and the editors-in-chief. As a group, we choose the most visible issue each week, and we write a piece expressing our view.

Each week, our team of writers, editors, designers, photographers, videographers and interns works hard to produce Hilltop Views. Our staff gathers the news, takes photos and does everything else necessary to make the paper happen.

We always strive to produce a quality newspaper for many reasons.

The foremost reason is that we understand the importance of a free press. We at Hilltop Views are committed to bringing every Hilltopper an unbiased and informative look at our community.

In the past, Hilltop Views was housed in Student Life, and it functioned more like a newsletter than a quality journalistic publication. Professor Michele Kay, who died in 2011, moved the paper from Student Life to the School of Humanities, and she raised the paper’s standards. None of the current Hilltop Views staff had the privilege of working with Kay, but we strive to maintain her standards of quality.

Our current faculty adviser is Jena Heath, assistant professor of English Writing and Rhetoric-Journalism. Heath brings professional journalism expertise to Hilltop Views and offers invaluable guidance to our staff.

Furthermore, Hilltop Views provides St. Edward’s with an outlet for civil discourse. As we said above, the “Viewpoints” section includes educated arguments on various issues. This allows writers to express their views in a more professional way than they could on a social network.

We also welcome letters to the editor. Letters to the editor allow readers to respond directly to the paper’s content. We hope to help get conversations started about issues that matter in our community. All stories include the writer’s name and St. Edward’s e-mail address so readers can communicate with writers.

Finally, welcome to the Hilltop. We look forward to bringing you the news each week.