Student newspaper launches online edition

NEW PALTZ — Beginning Sept. 12, SUNY New Paltz students, faculty, staff, alumni, prospective students and the world will be able to read the already established print version of The Oracle, the student newspaper, online.

President of the Student Association Jonathan Amoia believes the benefits are limitless. “The online version of The Oracle makes it possible to stay informed about important information and events for those not directly connected to the campus on a daily basis,” Amoia said. He added that SUNY is becoming more selective and the online service will help potential students learn more about New Paltz.

Andrew Hackmack, a senior majoring in journalism, will be the online editor of The Oracle. Hackmack said he thinks that the online editions will expand audiences, give more people access to see work being done by New Paltz students and encourage interested students to participate. “Hopefully having The Oracle online can help attract more journalism majors, because they will realize the presence of the student newspaper on this campus,” Hackmack said.

The official launch for the first online edition will be 6 p.m. on Sept. 12. Interested parties can go online to http://oracle.newpaltz.edu. The online edition will be printed weekly, concentrating on three or four of the biggest stories per section of the print version, including news, features, arts and entertainment, opinion and sports. There will also be news archives and a weekly poll. Readers are welcome to respond and give feedback by filling out a form located on the Web site under “contact us” that goes directly to The Oracle staff.

Rayna Wendell, director of alumni affairs, also acknowledged the benefits of the online edition of The Oracle. “Alumni will now be able to maintain a closer connection to their alma mater and the issues facing it. Having The Oracle available online will be a wonderful benefit we can’t wait to promote,” Wendell said.

Leslie-Jean Thornton, a journalism professor who teaches online courses for the Communication and Media Department, is delighted about the online newspaper. “It’s an exciting adventure that deserves lots of attention. Putting The Oracle online might well have a very nurturing effect on the community we call SUNY New Paltz,” Thornton said.

The project to design and build the new site was started during the summer of 2002 by the Office of Web Management in Public Affairs. Since that time, the efforts of student Web Programmer Assistant Tim Roberson have made the online version possible.