Well, it’s been a while, but we finally did it. The Argo is making a comeback this week.

Since taking over the Arts and Entertainment section, I have considered putting out an Argo with a combination of excitement and dread. Melissa Treolo did an outstanding job last year as A&E editor, and as she pointed out to me one day, she is a tough act to follow. However, I feel like we’ve put a lot of ourselves into the production of this issue, and hopefully it shows to the readers.

For those who are new to the Argo, it is a 12-page explosion of the arts that envelop our daily lives as college students. For this issue, we decided to go with the theme of “Do It Yourself,” a how-to guide for surviving Thanksgiving by taking matters into your own hands. I hope this guide helps the readers out in some way, even if it’s just by giving them a laugh during stressful times.

The cover was created by the collective genius (or lack thereof) of Jeannine, ReAnne and myself. We thought it would be a perfect way to tie in the “Do It Yourself” theme with Thanksgiving. A lot of staff members chipped in when they heard we were making hand turkeys. To be honest, I think we’re all kids at heart. Even Corey managed to throw one together, despite his troubled past with hand turkeys. The therapy has really paid off…

I have always enjoyed the Argo because of the artistic freedom it gives us to design, write and capture photographs in a style all our own. I think the thing that distinguishes this paper from others is our ability to go against the grain. We are willing to experiment and take risks and to learn from our experiences. That’s what gives us our mojo.

A new aspect of the Argo this year is that we want to get our readers involved. Whether through feedback on ways we can improve, submitting photos or poems, or simply commenting on the Web site, we want to know what’s on your collective minds.

We have a few different sections to the Argo this year, as well. With a feature page on Garth Brooks’ hostile takeover of Kansas City and a movies section to give readers a taste of what’s out and what’s to come, we hope to diversify this issue to include everything the avid A&E reader needs.

We also have a surprise guest writer that is no stranger to the Argo. She will be filling folks in on ways to quit smoking for the holidays.

In summation, rock on and happy holidays!