As a new semester begins, students and faculty will witness many upcoming changes that will affect campus and our nation.

One of the most prominent and recent events on campus was the opening of the Doudna Fine Arts Center. After construction began in 2001, students and faculty are now able to use the long awaited building and its facilities.

Construction hit a standstill in 2002 after Gov. Rod Blagojevich placed a freeze on capital development projects, but work picked back up again in 2005 and construction crews worked hard to finish the building.

Although the building is officially opened, the university will wait until Oct. 24 for the official dedication ceremony.

To commemorate the ceremony, The Daily Eastern News will publish a Doudna Guide that will provide further insight into the building’s improvements.

This year’s football season is also something to keep an eye on. For the past three years, the Panthers have made the playoffs and are likely to do so again.

Defensive End Pierre Walters is one player to watch out for; he is a preseason All-American. It is important to show support for the football team, especially at the Panther’s first home game Sept. 13 against Indiana State.

Our news coverage will also be worth watching. Visitors to The DEN’s Web site, dennews.com, will also notice a change. By the end of the semester a redesigned dennews.com will be launched.

With the new Web site, we hope that it allows visitors to have more interaction with The DEN, and a finer connection between the print and online versions.

The presidential election this year is another event to watch. This November, either Republican candidate John McCain or Democratic candidate Barack Obama will presumably be elected into office as president.

It is the first time that both presidential candidates are sitting senators, and no matter who is elected, it will be the first time the United States will have a president who was born outside the continental United States.

Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and McCain was born in Coco Solo, Panama Canal Zone, a U.S. naval base.

If Obama is elected he will become the first black president and McCain, if elected, would become the oldest president to take office.

This year’s election is certainly one to watch and as it nears, The DEN will publish an election guide informing readers of the candidates’ views on issues as well as information on voter registration.

State and area officials remain hopeful that a new federal administration may also breathe new life into the FutureGen project. The project, which was designed to build the world’s first near-zero carbon dioxide power plant sequestering the gas underground, was planned to be built in Mattoon until the Department of Energy pulled the plug on funding.

This will be an exciting semester to watch the changes that are developing around us on a campus, state and national level. Welcome back to Eastern and have a great semester.

Kristina Peters is a senior journalism major. She can be reached at 581-7942 or at DENeic@gmail.com.