“Join the Campus Times.”
Past members of CT staff have used the phrase as a scapegoat to deal with criticism of the paper. True, editorial staff members understand the time and work that goes into maintaining a writing staff, editing articles and laying out each page, but realistically, one reader with a specific complaint is not going to become a diehard CT-er.
Rather, I invite you to join the CT community – simply give us some feedback and constructive criticism.
As the student newspaper, the CT has two jobs – accurately represent the UR community as an open forum and serve as a tool for those interested in writing. If we’re falling short of accomplishing either goal, please let us know.
Call the office, write a letter to the editor, e-mail the section editor – the current CT masthead has been working to improve relations with members of the UR community.
In my second semester as editor-in-chief, I’ve chosen the word “voices” to be a guiding phrase for each section editor. In addition to critically assessing the voice of the writer, each editor seeks out diverse voices.
Differing opinions routinely enter the paper through letters to the editor, the web poll and UR Opinion. Letters to the editor are not dead ends – I read them, respond and often print them in the opinions section.
Correctly representing the UR community requires its voices to appear throughout the CT – not just in the opinions pages. Since the staff changes each semester, diversifying in-house cannot be the only method of finding these voices.
Students, faculty and staff are always welcome to write – just contact the appropriate editor. If there’s something happening on campus, let us know. Press notification forms can be found in the CT office, Wilson Commons 102.
Last spring, the CT asked the Minority Students Advisory Board, Students’ Association government, Pride Network, other student groups and campus offices to appoint representatives to an advisory board.
Weekly meetings were set up, and unfortunately, only a couple members took the opportunity to have such an impact on the newspaper. The board, continuing this semester, gives feedback on the week’s issue as well as potentially controversial submissions.
The annual “CT Community Dialogue” discussion panel will be held in November. The one-time commitment gives readers the chance to question the CT and continue conversations beyond the “Letters to the Editor.”
The CT aims to be an open forum, but we cannot succeed without the help of an active readership.
Borchardt can be reached at jborchardt@campustimes.org.
