Dear Editor,
When I was in high school, the day the paper came out was always an awesome day. Every nose was buried in the paper, spotting their friends and peers within articles and reading the fun columns. One example of a fun column in every issue was “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly”. These topics ranged from standardized tests going on at the time to the weather to fashion trends and everything in between. This was one of the things that made the paper great – it was RELATABLE. These fun tidbits hooked the students and we would end up reading the paper cover-to-cover. This is the problem with the Globe: it’s dry. The most entertaining part of the paper is the Student Look Book, which is a great section because it brings the students into the paper and makes it more personal, and again, relatable. Try spicing up the newspaper if you want to uncover new readers.
Another thing that I would appreciate would be some kind of an alliance with Student Life & Leadership. Often, they hold events, but descriptions available online are so brief that I don’t have any background information on what they actually are. Raising awareness for these events could benefit SL&L, the Globe and the Student Body, helping everyone to become more involved in their school community. I’m not talking about writing articles about these events after they’ve been held. Raise awareness beforehand! Even if it is a small space saying “This event is going on at this time and this place and here is a short paragraph about what it is and why it’s happening.” Perfect! Much appreciated.
I’m not saying to cut out the news. Far from it, in fact! I appreciate the information, it’s just that I’m also looking to be entertained when I pick up the paper. Writing articles about how important the Globe is won’t do any good because it won’t inspire people who don’t read it (the people you would be trying to reach with those articles) to pick it up and actually get the message you’re sending. Make it better for your current readers and those of us who hope for something entertaining every week and the word will spread.
Be creative! There is more to good journalism than stating the facts.
By the way, I still have many of my newspapers from high school. That’s the goal!
Also, I have one other response to the latest issue. Regarding the mainstream movie article: I hope that when you come to the student center, you are looking for a little more than education. Yes, it is a place filled with many resources and can be a good place to study, but this is also the place where students are allowed to mix up their routine and get a snack or some lunch, visit vendor tables or attend fun workshops. The Art of Kissing, for instance, was fun and I suppose educational, but hardly in the I’m-Going-To-College-To-Get-An-Education kind of way. The point of all of these things is to TAKE A BREAK. Who says everyone needs to live in reality 100% of the time? Who says that school needs to be all work? Frankly, if that’s how you’re going through your educational experience, I pity you. School is about preparing you for the real world, but not about moving there exclusively. Frankly, I think that providing opportunities for cheap/free entertainment is a wonderful thing that SL&L offers us. I’m not encouraging skipping classes to continue watching Transformers, but if you happen to see 15 minutes during a break you have, isn’t it possible that the escape could help you function at a higher mental level for your classes anyway? Thanks to those who organize these escapes!
Adam Jordan
