In your hands at this moment lies the first issue of the newly revamped Urbanite. For those of us on staff at The Signal, the preparation of the launch of the Urbanite has been one of the more exciting of priorities this semester.

For those students who are unfamiliar, a brief bit of history: the Urbanite is entering its seventh year of publication, and with this new year comes a complete revamp in its appearance.

During its first four years of publication, the Urbanite was published at the same size and frequency as The Signal – albeit with a smaller number of pages. In its fifth year, the Urbanite made a transition to a more traditional magazine layout. The publication was changed to a biweekly piece, the size was reduced, and the covers took on a more professional, glossy appearance.

One of our tasks at The Signal this year, though, was to determine the viability of the Urbanite as a separate publication for the Georgia State body. While we were initially unsure of what we could do with the Urbanite to spark interest, an examination of The Signal and the Urbanite together made our decision significantly easier.

This year, returning Georgia State students have noticed a shift towards more Georgia State-based articles in the pages of The Signal. Our News, Sports, and Living sections predominantly cover Georgia State events, while the Perspectives section offers the views of Georgia State students on a variety of issues.

With the Urbanite, we felt it was best to refocus the publication on what it’s claimed to be for its duration: arts and entertainment, opinions, advice, and politics, all based in the city of Atlanta and around the planet.

While the Urbanite will be launching in full force next semester, we wanted to give you, our readers, a preview of what’s to come with the Urbanite. Our goal for the Urbanite is to create a slick, professional student magazine that will be of interest and value to all of the students at Georgia State.

In order to do this, of course, it helps to have a wide range of interests reflected in the Urbanite. What we are asking of you, our constituency, is a thoughtful examination of the magazine as a whole. Tell us what works and what doesn’t work. Give us a chance to make the Urbanite reflective of the entire student body.

While you’re at it, if you’re interested in contributing to the Urbanite, fill out an application on our website (www.gsusignal.com). We want this magazine to reflect the entire student body, and to do that, we need a wide range of writers.

We look forward to hearing from you!