EDITORIAL
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Put
      up
      or
      shut
      up
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      debatable
      wit
      and
      wisdom
      of
      my
      edito-
     
    

    
     
      rials,
      but
      this
      week
      I’m
      using
      the
      space
     
     
      for
      a
      special
      informational
      commentary
      in
      re-
     
     
      sponse
      to
      requests
      and
      suggestions
      I’ve
      re-
     
     
      ceived
      from
      students
      and
      paper
      staff
      for
      some
     
     
      time.
      This
      is
      the
      second-last
      issue
      of
      the
      semes-
     
     
      ter,
      and
      since
      next
      week’s
      editorial
      space
      will
      be
     
     
      taken
      up
      by
      heartfelt
      thank-yous
      and
      mushy
     
     
      good-byes
      and
      the
      like,
      this
      seemed
      like
      the
      last
     
     
      opportunity
      to
      sneak
      in
      a
      few
      important
      words
     
     
      on
      the
      topic
      I’m
      addressing
      here:
      the
      content
      of
     
     
      the
      student
      newspaper-
      what
      it
      is,
      what
      we
      want
     
     
      it
      to
      be,
      who
      produces
      it,
      and
      how
      it
      should
      be
     
     
      done.
      Basically,
      if
      you
      care
      about
     
     
      this
      paper
      and
      what
      appears
      in
      it,
     
     
      read
      on.
     
    

    
     
      The
      paper’s
      goal
      is
      to
      provide
     
     
      a
      forum
      for
      student
      opinions,
      ideas,
     
     
      and
      writing,
      to
      provide
      stories
      on
     
     
      local,
      national,
      and
      international
     
     
      news
      and
      issues,
      and
      to
      cover
     
     
      university
      life.
      We
      do
      this
      to
      the
     
     
      best
      of
      our
      ability,
      but
      we
      can’t
     
     
      cover
      everything,
      and
      it’s
      often
      |
     
     
      most
      difficult
      to
      dig
      up
      stories
      on
     
     
      campus
      life.
      We
      sometimes
      re-
     
     
      ceive
      complaints
      that
      we
      have
      too
      little
      news-
     
     
      writing
      in
      the
      paper
      or
      that
      we
      haven’t
      covered
     
     
      a
      particular
      item
      someone
      wanted
      covered,
      but
     
     
      we
      can’t
      be
      aware
      of
      everything
      going
      on
      at
      the
     
     
      campus.
      If
      something
      interesting
      is
      happening
     
     
      on
      campus,
      then
      tell
      us.
      We’re
      not
      psychic,
      we
     
     
      appreciate
      information
      and
      we
      try
      to
      follow
      up
     
     
      any
      tips
      or
      stories
      we’re
      given.
     
    

    
     
      One
      letter-writer
      in
      the
      Feb.
      18
      issue
      blasted
     
     
      us
      for
      not
      having
      enough
      campus
      news
      and
     
     
      sports
      or
      features
      on
      campus
      life.
      It’s
      quite
      easy
     
     
      to
      complain
      about
      that,
      but
      quite
      another
      thing
     
     
      to
      remedy
      it.
      Firstly,
      it’s
      a
      small
      and
      sparsely
     
     
      populated
      campus.
      Outside
      of
      sporting
      events
     
     
      there’s
      usually
      not
      a
      lot
      of
      excitement,
      and
     
     
      when
      major
      stories
      have
      broken
      we’ve
      been
      on
     
     
      top
      of
      them
      (the
      news
      and
      current
      affairs
      con-
     
     
      tent
      of
      the
      paper
      this
      year
      easily
      surpasses
      or
      at
     
     
      least
      equals
      that
      of
      previous
      years);
      still,
      there’s
     
     
      not
      always
      a
      lot
      of
      campus
      events
      to
      report
      on.
     
     
      Secondly,
      I
      would
      ask
      our
      critics
      exactly
      who
      is
     
     
      going
      to
      write
      all
      this
      news
      and
      sports
      and
     
     
      “‘campus
      life’
      info
      they
      crave.
      It
      was
      difficult
     
     
      to
      restrain
      hysterical
      laughter
      when
      one
      letter
     
     
      writer
      suggested
      I
      have
      my
      ‘‘news
      team’’
      con-
     
     
      centrate
      on
      these
      things.
      The
      reason
      that’s
      so
     
    
   
   
    
     
      G
      reetings.
      This
      space
      usually
      houses
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      funny
      is
      that
      the
      X-Press
      does
      not
      have
      and
      has
     
     
      never
      had
      a
      ‘‘news
      team’’
      per
      se.
      Our
      writers
     
     
      are
      ALL
      VOLUNTEERS.
      They
      write
      what
      they
     
     
      want
      to
      write.
      I
      can
      try
      to
      assign
      things
      to
      them,
     
     
      but
      it’s
      all
      voluntary.
      Very
      seldom,
      if
      ever,
      do
     
     
      volunteers
      jump
      at
      the
      chance
      for
      ‘‘campus
     
     
      life’’
      features
      I
      try
      to
      assign
      them
      (student
     
     
      council,
      professor
      profiles,
      lectures,
      meetings
     
     
      etc.)
      Similarly,
      though
      there
      are
      often
      com-
     
     
      plaints
      about
      our
      lack
      of
      sports
      features
      we
      have
     
     
      never
      had
      a
      person
      willing
      to
      write
      sports
      for
      us
     
     
      regularly
      over
      the
      past
      few
      years
      apart
      from
      our
     
     
      ‘*Offsider’’
      hockey
      columnist.
      There
      area
      hand-
     
     
      ful
      of
      paid
      staff
      members
      (myself,
      the
      Produc-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      "I
      believe
      we've
     
     
      produced
      a
      good
     
     
      product
      overall.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      tion
      editor,
      the
      Ad
      Manager,
      Photographer
      and
     
     
      Typesetter)
      but
      our
      duties
      do
      not
      include
      writ-
     
     
      ing,
      though
      in
      addition
      to
      our
      jobs
      and
      school-
     
     
      work
      we
      all
      pitch
      in
      written
      contributions
      any-
     
     
      way,
      from
      news
      to
      fiction
      to
      entertainment
      to
     
     
      features.
      The
      staff
      we
      have
      is
      underpaid
      and
     
     
      overworked
      and
      putting
      as
      much
      into
      the
      paper
     
     
      as
      time
      and
      energy
      allow
      them.
      We
      are
      only
      a
     
     
      handful
      of
      people,
      though,
      and
      we
      rely
      heavily
     
     
      on
      volunteer
      participation.
      From
      our
      limited
     
     
      resources
      we
      draw
      as
      much
      info
      as
      possible
     
     
      from
      as
      many
      writers
      as
      are
      available
      to
      us.
     
     
      The
      aforementioned
      Feb.
      18
      letter
      was
      one
     
     
      of
      several
      to
      touch
      on
      another
      point,
      criticism
      of
     
     
      the
      amount
      of
      entertainment
      features
      in
      the
     
     
      paper
      (letters
      have
      specifically
      targeted
      the
     
     
      ComiColumn,
      View
      From
      the
      Top,
     
     
      Twentysomething,
      etc.).
      While
      we
      may
      feature
     
     
      many
      entertainment
      and
      commentary
      columns
     
     
      these
      are
      never
      in
      place
      of
      news
      or
      sports.
      If
      we
     
     
      have
      news
      and
      sports
      features
      they
      take
      prec-
     
     
      edence,
      and
      when
      time
      or
      space
      limitations
     
     
      force
      our
      production
      editor
      to
      make
      cuts
      during
     
     
      layout
      then
      the
      first
      thing
      to
      go
      are
      entertain-
     
     
      ment
      columns
      like
      Turkey
      Dinner,
     
     
      ComiColumn,
      and
      the
      like
      (note
      the
      absence
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      said
      columns
      in
      the
      Feb.
      18
      and
      March
      11
      issues
     
     
      for
      instance).
      The
      Feb.
      18
      letter
      also
      complains
     
     
      of
      these
      and
      other
      features
      not
      being
      campus-
     
     
      oriented,
      but
      the
      paper’s
      goals
      have
      never
      been
     
     
      and
      should
      not
      be
      narrowly
      restricted
      to
      sport-
     
     
      ing
      and
      academic
      features.
      Entertainment
      re-
     
     
      views
      of
      movies,
      comics,
      music
      and
      books
      are
     
     
      as
      relevant
      to
      us
      as
      they
      are
      to
      any
      other
      readers,
     
     
      andcommentary
      features
      like
      Stan
      Livingstone’s
     
    

    
     
      ‘‘Twentysomething’’
      may
      not
      always
      cover
      a
     
    

    
     
      specific
      campus
      topic
      but
      they
      do
      touch
      on
      the
     
    

    
     
      thoughts
      and
      feeling
      of
      the
      readership
      and
      as
     
     
      such
      they
      are
      quite
      relevant
      to
      readers.
     
    

    
     
      As
      [’ve
      stated,
      I
      believe
      (and
      a
      good
      deal
      of
     
     
      reader
      commentary
      I’ve
      received
     
     
      concurs)
      that
      we’
      ve
      produced
      a
      good
     
     
      product
      overall,
      certainly
      on
      par
      with
     
     
      or
      exceeding
      previous
      campus
      news-
     
     
      papers.
      Still,
      though
      we’ve
      done
      the
     
     
      best
      we
      can
      we’re
      not
      perfect,
      and
     
     
      there’s
      room
      for
      improvement
      such
     
     
      as
      the
      additional
      news
      and
      sports
     
    
   
   
    
     
      yp
      features
      readers
      request.
      I
      havetaken
     
    
   
   
    
     
      steps
      toward
      that
      by
      arranging
      for
      a
     
     
      paid
      staffnewswriter
      position
      in
      next
     
     
      year’s
      paper
      budget,
      but
      while
      that’s
     
     
      a
      positive
      step,
      it
      still
      doesn’t
      guar-
     
     
      antee
      coverage
      of
      everything
      readers
      might
     
     
      want.
      The
      final
      solution,
      and
      this
      is
      the
      most
     
     
      important
      point
      I
      have
      to
      make,
      rests
      with
      YOU..
     
     
      You,
      the
      students.
      We’re
      students
      ourselves,
     
     
      and
      we
      will
      always
      need
      students
      to
      produce
     
     
      this
      paper
      for
      the
      students.
      We
      take
      all
      com-
     
     
      ments
      into
      consideration,
      but
      if
      critics
      really
     
     
      want
      to
      put
      their
      money
      where
      their
      mouths
      are
     
     
      then
      they
      should
      offer
      constructive
      solutions
      or,
     
     
      better
      still,
      pitch
      in.
      If
      there’s
      something
      you
     
     
      think
      should
      be
      in
      print,
      then
      try
      working
      on
      it
     
     
      yourself
      and
      bring
      it
      to
      us.
      We’re
      always
      seek-
     
     
      ing
      new
      blood
      and
      new
      ideas.
      If
      you
      really
      want
     
     
      to
      improve
      the
      paper
      in
      any
      way,
      take
      responsi-
     
     
      bility
      for
      your
      student
      newspaper
      and
      make
      a
     
     
      contribution.
      The
      X-Press
      staff
      have
      and
      will
     
     
      continue
      to
      strive
      for
      perfection,
      but
      if
      the
     
     
      student
      body
      really
      cares
      about
      its
      paper
      then
      it
     
     
      is
      their
      responsibility
      to
      contribute.
      Otherwise,
     
     
      reader
      criticism
      can
      seem
      fairly
      hollow
      and
     
     
      hypocritical.
     
     
      It’s
      something
      to
      think
      about
      for
      next
      year.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Sean
      McQuaid
     
     
      Editor-in-Chief
     
    
   
   
    
     
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