As Deerfield continues to adapt and evolve, it is crucial that there is a consistent source for students, faculty, and alumni to turn to for reliable information and a space for everyone to share their opinions and ideas. Building upon the high quality reporting and managing that Jason Jung ’09 and his staff maintained this past year, I would also like to emphasize the importance of community involvement and communication in Volume 84 of The Scroll. In the coming months, I want The Scroll to serve as a tool for past and present Deerfield students to connect with each other and for different members of the community to share their perspectives.To generate feedback and reactions, I would like to pose one question to you each issue, inviting your opinions through letters. Some topics of discussion will include the fairness of the United States drinking age and the appropriate “reach” of a school.

In tandem with The Scroll staff’s hope to open up the paper as a space for community discussion, Dr. Curtis will be holding “Manse Chats” regularly each Sunday to connect with students. I hope these meetings will give you a chance to formulate ideas and questions that we can put into print in The Scroll. Also, in an effort to communicate the progress of the seemingly vast Imagine Deerfield, I would like to publish an article or graphic each issue focusing on smaller, more “bite-sized” pieces of the program to make it more digestible.

Unfortunately, due to economic factors, we will no longer be sending out hard copies of The Scroll to alumni and relatives of students. The web version of the latest Scroll issue on http://danet.deerfield.edu/ under “Student Life,” is currently the only way for off-campus alumni and family members to view the Scroll; however, we are currently constructing Scroll Online and hope to have an official website in the fall.

I look forward to working with the talented editors of the 2009-2010 staff maintaining and adding to the legacy of The Scroll. To reach our goals for this volume, however, we need your opinions, ideas, and constant feedback. So, whenever you feel especially frustrated about a school policy or overjoyed at some progress on campus or in the world, instead of venting or gushing to a friend, put pen to paper and write a letter to the Scroll (lcobbs@deerfield.edu or scroll@deerfield.edu).You’d be surprised how therapeutic this can be.

Editor-in-Chief

Lucy Cobbs