One of the complaints that is voiced around campus more than anything else(other than no one answering the phones in various offices around campus) is the fact that the student publication does not cover certain events, organizations and departments on campus.
There are reasons for this; but, instead of offering up excuses, here is a suggestion: Come write for us.
Simply put, the more people that we have writing for us, the easier and more effectively we are able to cover the entire Texas A&M University-Commerce campus.
“But I’m not a journalism student,” you say. It doesn’t matter, and that’s the point of inviting anyone from around campus to come write for The East Texan.
Obviously, if you are part of a specific group on campus or active in a particular section of campus, you will be in on the loop that is involved within that section. You will know about upcoming events and problems and will have knowledge of the people found within your organization. This makes it easier for your group or major to get media coverage.
As far as not being a journalist, that makes little difference. Around Texas there are several universities that do not have journalism departments on campus and do not offer journalism as a major, yet they have student publications. One example of this is The Battalion at Texas A&M University in College Station, which has a circulation of about 22,000 and a staff of about 100 students.
However, none of these students are journalism majors and they vary in majors, which gives them a wide variety of writers for their publication. This makes the news around campus more easily accessible for their staff to report, which is the overall effect that our publication is trying to accomplish.
There are several benefits to writing for The East Texan. First of all, it looks great on your resume to be involved in a student organization and, since our publication has won several awards in the last few years, it now looks even better. Potential bosses will see that you are obviously hard-working, dedicated and articulate if you are involved in writing for the student publication of A&M-Commerce.
Secondly, it allows you to have a voice on campus. Obviously, if there is a problem on campus, the student publication will allow you to comment (at least on the viewpoints page) about an issue found within your department. It will also give you accessibility to get events that are being held covered when the reporters and editors of The East Texan may not have heard about them. Simply put, it gives you an “in” for your major or for an organization that you are involved in.
Finally, it is fun and will improve how you write, interact with people and even your proofreading skills. Trust me, if you have never seen your name in print, it is a feeling of euphoria, as is getting your organization publicity that they have never had before.
Please come write for us. It will be worth it in the end. Feel free to contact us at theeasttexan@gmail.com.