The temperature is rising and we’re seeing the first signs of another Boone summer as students all over campus are busily finishing term papers and studying for exams.

That’s right, another spring semester at Appalachian State University is approaching its end.

For the third year we’ve used one of our last issues to take a look back at the news that shaped our campus this year.

The stories dominating our headlines this year ranged from the seriousness of the chancellor search to the randomness of a bear breaking into the Holmes Convocation Center.

Regardless what the topic, this staff has worked hard to bring you fair and accurate reports of the happenings at Appalachian State.

On pages 8 and 9 of this issue, we here at The Appalachian have ranked what we feel to be the top 10 Newsmakers of 2003-2004. These are the issues and stories that have made the greatest impact on this university.

Topping off the list this year is the search for Appalachian State’s 6th chancellor, Dr. Ken Peacock.

The chancellor search will have more significance on this university in the years to come than any other issue over the past few years.

Another issue students could not afford to ignore was the campus based tuition raise. While the final bill was $75 less than the proposed $300 hike, students will still pay nearly twice as much to attend Appalachian in 2005 than they did at the end of the 20th Century.

Our Student Government Association and the University of North Carolina system Association of Student Governments fought the hikes valiantly, but in the end the personal stories and the protest did not dissuade the Board of Governors.

And then there are the stories that even we still cannot believe. The AppCard phone number directing callers to a homosexual porn line is still laughed about in our office and around campus.

To those of you graduating, we hope our coverage will give you something to remember your time at Appalachian with. We wish you the best of luck on all your future endeavors.

For those of you who returning, it is you who will shape the future news. Enjoy your remaining time here; it will be over before you know it.

Now, as nostalgia kicks in and we prepare to print our final issue Thursday, it is clear that 2003-04 has provided a unique and challenging opportunity for us and we wouldn’t trade it for the world.