Summer at Stanford is strange. Compared to the regular school year, not much has changed: Many of us are in dorms, frequenting certain buildings, hanging out with the same friends and facing up to some form of work — research, an internship, camp counseling or something entirely different.

But at the same time, summer at Stanford is probably the most beautiful and most uniquely “Stanford” time of the year. Many of us are finally taking advantage of the campus hotspots we couldn’t always make it to, laying on the grass to get a California tan, playing ultimate Frisbee and, dare I say it, also getting some rest.

It’s the epitome of the Stanford experience — or at least the one we were sold on and have since tried living up to — yet it’s lacking the classes, the hustle and bustle (of people, not construction) around White Plaza and the general campus spirit that truly comes alive at the start of fall quarter.

It’s at this strange time then, that I get to welcome you to another volume of The Stanford Daily (or The Weekly, to be more correct). This isn’t the ideal situation, I have to say, for introducing myself as Vol. 234 Editor-in-Chief, my goals for the coming months and my thoughts on The Stanford Daily and its place in the community. Rather, this seems like an early hello — a slight preview of what’s to come, when everything isn’t truly ready and the campus doesn’t seem to be firing on all cylinders.

But I can’t deny it: The campus is still thriving, there’s still news popping up from unexpected places and there are still people with stories to tell and ideas to share. People wonder why The Daily continues publishing over the summer when most students aren’t even here, but looking at these pages, I think you’ll see why.

We may seem to be living in a strange kind of limbo, with the quintessential Stanford social life, but not exactly the academic life; the many opportunities available, but not that jam-packed schedule; and the same places and faces, but not the same atmosphere; but for me, it’s just another night at The Daily — albeit in my own office now — and this issue is just another showcase of Stanford, its people, events, controversies, accomplishments and more.

This is The Stanford Weekly, and welcome to what continues to be Stanford — even if it does seem a little different.