From the Editor

This is not a rant.

This is not a scolding, not an angry editor letting out her frustrations in a public forum.

What this is is a recommendation. I'm writing to remind you, the students, of the resources you have to express your opinion. I'm writing to encourage you to speak out, to let your opinion be known, to act.

In the past four years of being part of The Hawk's Herald staff, I've been approached at least once a week (or once per issue) by a student about some sort of qualm that he or she has with an article in the paper.

Now, I'm not saying that this feedback is annoying, in fact, I enjoy hearing what the student body thinks about our newspaper, but I can guarantee that if someone approaches me in between classes, at the commons during lunch, or at any other random location that is irrelevant to the newspaper, his or her comments will not go farther than the present discussion.

For example, everyone has an opinion about student leaders on campus. This has been the topic of controversy at least once a semester, and the number of angry students who have approached me to tell me their opinion has reached a countless number.

And with every conversation, I give the same response: Write a letter to the editor.

According to the First Amendment of the United States, we have the freedom of the opinion, of speech, of the press, and of assembly, and The Hawk's Herald is a perfect example of this freedom.

As editor, all stories and opinion articles published in The Hawk's Herald must be approved by me before being placed into the layout. With every story, I've been able to justify its relevance and importance to our readership, and am fully prepared to defend any of my decisions.

But what good does standing and arguing over how you feel about that particular article benefit you? How does it benefit the student body? If you feel so strongly about the subject, you should not be ashamed to let everyone know.

I'm discouraged by the number of people who will verbally express their opinion to me or to one of the other editors on staff, but will end it at that. It is your opinion, and if it is important to you, you should talk about it.

I'm tired of people on this campus not taking action. I'm tired of students complaining and not doing anything about it. If you want things to change, start with the paper. Write your opinion, get it published. That way, you can let people know how you feel.

So write me a letter. Tell me what your opinion is, continue the conversation. If you don't, then maybe it wasn't that important.