The Daily Texan has been The University of Texas at Austin’s student newspaper for 120 years. We’ve never had a year like this. 

In March, for the first time since the 1918 influenza pandemic, we suspended production of our  printed paper.

As we continued to work and keep the UT community informed this summer, we witnessed a national reckoning — protests swept the country in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and against abhorrent police violence and institutionalized racism. 

Through what felt like the most tumultuous months in the Texan’s history, we kept working. Although our papers were online-only this summer, our standards never faltered. 

This semester will be different as well. For the first time since its inception, The Daily Texan will not produce a daily printed product in the fall. We’ll publish a paper on Tuesdays and Fridays, with plans to print Tuesday’s paper and publish Friday’s paper online. 

Just like you, we’re new to this new normal. Everyone is. But that doesn’t detract from the important work we do at the Texan to hold our University accountable and keep the UT community informed. As we begin this unpredictable fall semester, The Daily Texan’s staff applications have opened again, and we’d love to see you apply. 

The Texan is one of the oldest and most accomplished student newspapers in the country. It’s one of the largest and most award-winning, too. 

Our alumni have gone on to win 25 Pulitzer Prizes, and big names such as Lady Bird Johnson, Walter Cronkite, Robert Rodriguez and Sen. Judith Zaffirini have worked in our newsroom.

If you want to be a part of the team that breaks important campus, city and administrative news, apply for our news department. Check out our Life&Arts department if you want to explore the human aspect behind the news — and write fun movie and TV reviews. Interested in covering how the sports community adapts to our ever-changing COVID-19 reality? Apply for our sports department.  

If you want to hone your photography skills under the guidance of the best photographers on campus, apply for our photo department. Apply for our video department if you want to produce stunning videos that supplement our written coverage, and check out our comics department if art, animation and illustration are your jam.  

Do you practice your podcast voice in the shower? Apply for our audio department. If you’re UT Twitter famous — or aspiring to be — try out for our social media department and help us maximize our online outreach. If you want to contribute to daily briefings, weekly updates and the latest reports, apply for our newsletters department. 

If you’ve got a killer graphic design instinct and know your way around Adobe InDesign, try out for our design department. If you actually enjoy editing the news more than writing it, check out our copy department.

Are you interested in making the Texan a more inclusive and diverse space? Apply for our Diversity & Inclusion Board and help members tackle diversity initiatives from the ground up.

Lastly, apply for our opinion department if you want to push for change on campus. In the opinion department, we investigate, editorialize and write about our passions. If you know UT can do better and want to help it get there, join me in opinion.  

More important than the department you work for, though, is the community you’ll find here at the Texan. You’ll make life-long friendships, and the Texan will define your college experience. 

If the Texan’s not the right fit, there are other Texas Student Media entities to explore — Texas Student Television, Bevo Video Productions, KVRX, Texas Travesty, Cactus Yearbook, Burnt X and Texas Connect will welcome you too. 

The Daily Texan can’t function without a talented, hardworking staff. Regardless of your year, major or background, you have a place at this paper. 

The Daily Texan’s interest form for this semester can be found at bit.ly/DTFall2020. If you have questions about the application process, email me at [email protected]. 

Caldwell is a Latin American studies and journalism senior from College Station, Texas. She is the editor-in-chief.