The best things in life are free

If this experiment of ours worked the way it's supposed to, you picked up this copy of the 'Prince' at your doorstep this morning.

As of today, the 'Prince' is free. And not only that, we've committed to delivering it to each of the 2,500-plus student rooms on campus every day.

Why are we doing this? Our foremost goal has always been to make this newspaper as accessible as possible. We see the 'Prince' as the premier resource for relevant campus information, whether it's about Nassau Hall and administration policy, the Street and our social lives, or the broader issues facing our college community. And in going free, we aspire to better fulfill our obligation to you, our readers.

Of course, the 'Prince' will continue to be available without cost on our website, but we think the print edition of the paper remains the best way of experiencing all that it has to offer.

Today's "Focus" section about the fifth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks serves as a good example, bringing together stories and visuals in both a compelling and readable way.

That said, expect great things from the Web, too. We recognize the unique power of the online medium and believe it can effectively complement what this paper product has to offer. In the coming months, we hope to unveil a revamped website which will better take advantage of all that web technologies have to offer.

As we assume a more visible role on campus, we expect and hope you'll hold us accountable. To this end, we commit to being more open with you about how we do what we do and why we do it.

The first step in our effort at greater transparency will be a series of columns by the current editors of the paper explaining the policies and practices of their respective departments and responding to inquiries from readers.

We're excited about these changes, which we believe will make the 'Prince' better still. We look forward to hearing your views on this new chapter in the paper's history.

— The 130th Board