Students interested in keeping up with campus news will have many more options than just picking up the newspaper this semester, said Joey Stipek, Pioneer student editor.

“The Pioneer has become so much more than just a newspaper,” Stipek said. “It’s also an online media outlet, serving all facets of campus newsgathering and reporting.”

And the Pioneer is putting a greater emphasis on online and multimedia services than ever before, said Whitney Knight, Pioneer online editor.

“The Pioneer Online (www.occc.edu/pioneer) is always looking to expand, always looking for new ways to get our newspaper out there,” Knight said.

“For instance, just this semester we’ve launched a new podcast with Bonnie Campo which will cover a wide variety of topics. The podcast is free to download on iTunes, with new podcasts becoming available twice weekly.”

In addition to the podcast, the Pioneer’s Facebook (www.facebook.com/OCCCPioneer) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/occcpioneer pages,) were started during the summer of 2010. They will continue to serve as a way for students to follow the news and provide feedback, Knight said.

“We have about 200 fans on both of those services now,” she said. “It’s a really great opportunity for us to interact with our readers in a way that’s not really possible through a print medium.

“We love posting, asking our readers questions, and actually getting to talk to them, whereas with a print newspaper, the only way to get feedback is through letters to the editor,” Knight said.

Stipek said a multimedia approach is essential for the Pioneer to effectively fill its role for the college.

“We’re the only dedicated news source for the whole campus,” he said. “We provide news and information on issues that affect students directly and report on all aspects of this campus, as well as providing information to students that they might otherwise have to go hunting for.

“To do that well, we’re constantly expanding the range of ways we report and deliver the news.”

Even though the online aspect of the Pioneer is expanding, there will still be an emphasis on print, said Knight.

“Don’t get me wrong,” she said. “I love online. But it’s hard to replace that feeling of holding a newspaper.

“The sound of the pages rustling, the weight of it in your hands, the feeling of having something physical there.”