OPINIONS
The Beacon — www.upbeacon.net 13
For students, by students There is a place where people from all over the world come together to listen, argue, laugh, play, shout, cry, take a stand and perhaps learn a thing or two: College. It’s a whirlpool, spinning and swirling about life-altering ideas, people and experiences. It’s hard to think of a better place to find unforgettable stories. Student newspapers have the privilege of writing those stories down and sharing them with their constantly expanding readership of students, alumni, faculty and staff. That privilege, of course, comes with its share of respon-
sibility. Tenacity for truth and accuracy should always be demanded of journalists. College communities deserve nothing less. It may be difficult to distinguish the unique benefits that student newspapers bring to the modern Internet-entrenched individual who is barraged daily by media. Student newspapers, however, do stand out in their own way. For instance, most of the time, we’re less petty than Facebook, more credible than Like-a-little, less depressing than the New York Times and more thorough
than Twitter. Student newspapers provide information to students like no other news source because of their localized perspective. As students, we are constantly gulping down large doses of information on a daily basis. Students read articles and books written by old dead guys or senators or Ph.D.s or Pulitzer Prize winners. Student journalists might not have fancy letters at the end of their names just yet. But they have the most important credential you could ask for: they are witnesses. They live and learn right
alongside of you. They take the same classes, slave over their homework and have many of the same hopes and fears as you, their reader. That common lens gives them invaluable insight to report about their community better than anyone could. Student newspapers wear many hats in their communities. The newspaper is a historian, keeping records of events in the community as they unfold. The newspaper is a storyteller, binding the community with common experiences through articles, photos and cartoons. The newspaper is a community
organizer, informing students of events and activities to attend. The newspaper is a watchdog, informing the community of important issues and also providing a portal through which students can express their opinions on those issues. First and foremost, student journalists keep alive the inquisitive spirit of free and responsible discussion that your university community deserves. And they will continue to work late nights, rewrite drafts, track down sources and consume too much caffeine to bring you the scoop – just the way you like it.
EDITORIAL POLICY
The editorial reflects the majority view of The Beacon Editorial Board. The editorial does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the collective staff or the Administration of the University of Portland. Other submissions in this section are signed commentaries that reflect the opinion of the individual writer. The Student Media Committee, providing recommendation to the publisher, oversees the general operation of the newspaper. Policy set by the committee and publisher dictates that the responsibility for the newspaper’s editorial and advertising content lies solely in the hands of its student employees.
It’s crazy fun
Rosemary Peters Staff Commentary Communication is such a beautiful thing. Think about it. From the moment you wake up until the moment you go to sleep, you are communicating with the world around you. Maybe you start your day with a tussle with your housemates over the coffee. Maybe you turn on the radio to listen to music or a talk show while you dry your hair. Communication is a fundamental part of what it means to be a human. And, let’s be honest, it’s fun. So why not do it for a living? Or at least for a job during the next school year? Hopefully you’ve noticed the big ole honking student media guide in the center of this paper, advertising all of the student media jobs for next year. Each one of those jobs, whether it is working for KDUP, The Beacon or The Log, is a life-changing opportunity waiting to happen. Beyond actually getting paid to do what you do best – commu-
nicate – by working for student media you are making an investment in your future. Student media jobs provide invaluable learning experiences. The ability to write, to form coherent arguments and to talk with people from all walks of life will serve you in the future in every career. Beyond personal gains, working for student media makes you a part of something bigger. The purpose of student media is manifold. As a journalist for The Beacon, your time will be spent protecting students’ rights and freedoms. You will ensure the student body’s right to know every decision made that will affect them. If you choose to work for The Log, you will be committing yourself to the larger purpose of putting memories down on paper, making these few short college years unforgettable. At KDUP, your voice will be heard. You will make sure the student body stays informed and entertained. Did I also mention these jobs are crazy fun? Rosemary Peters is the Editor in Chief of The Beacon and she can be contacted at peters12@up.edu.
Submission Policy
Letters and commentaries from readers are encouraged. All contributions must include the writer’s address and phone number for verification purposes. The Beacon does not accept submissions written by a group, although pieces written by an individual on behalf of a group are acceptable. Letters to the editor must not exceed 250 words. Those with longer opinions are encouraged to submit guest columns. The Beacon reserves the right to edit any contributions for length and style, and/or reject them without notification. University students must include their major and year in school. Nonstudents must include their affiliation to the University, if any.
Advertising in The Beacon
For advertising information, contact Emily Lindgren, business and advertising manager, at beaconads@up.edu.
Subscriptions
Subscriptions are available at $26 for the year, covering 24 issues. Checks should be made payable to The University of Portland: The Beacon. For more information about subscriptions or billing questions, contact Business and Advertising Manager Emily Lindgren at beaconads@up.edu.
Student media: Move it or lose it Steve Duin Guest Commentary
Afflict the comfortable. Comfort the afflicted. That’s the advice of an alcoholic in the film, “Inherit the Wind,” but a drunk with a moral center. It’s the duty and responsibility of a journalist, Gene Kelly insists, at least any journalist worth his weight in salt and dignity. And it is as true now, in 2011, as it was in 1960 when the movie was made. If justice is to prevail, if truth will out, the comfortable – the smug, the corrupt, the shameless – must be afflicted, and the afflicted – the poor, the lost, the heartbroken – must be comforted. That’s where you come in. As newspapers wither and journalism loses its shape and power, the planet is falling out of balance. There is trouble in the heartland. As Bruce Springsteen, America’s poet laureate, has said: “Poor man wanna be rich, rich man wanna be king, and a king
ain’t satisfied till he rules everything.” And each time I look around, desperate for reinforcements, there are fewer and fewer college students available to confront the afflictions of the poor and the comforts of the king. Fewer investigative reporters. Fewer videographers. Fewer feature writers. Fewer columnists worth a hill of beans. Fewer critics who know Springsteen isn’t America’s poet laureate, just New Jersey’s. Fresh out of Wake Forest University, I took my first newspaper job in 1976, almost 35 years ago. I stayed in the business during its glory years, when newspapers made so much money from classified ads and supermarket supplements that they could throw money and reporters at every story in sight, even that curious break-in at the Watergate Hotel. By and large, that money is gone, and many of the best reporters have retired, disappeared into the belly of blogs that no one reads, or signed on to promote the very institutions they were once paid to monitor. It is no coincidence that the comfortable have rarely been so comfortable. The afflicted have never had so much company.
THE BEACON Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief. . . . . . . ����� Rosemary Peters News Editor . . . . . . . . . . ��������� Hannah Gray Opinions Editor . . . . . . �������� Megan Osborn Living EditoR �������������� Roya Ghorbani-Elizeh Sports Editor . . . . . . . . �����Aaron O’Connell Copy Editor. . . . . . . . . . . �������� Lisa McMahan
Contacting The Beacon E-mail: beacon@up.edu Website: www.upbeacon.net Address: 5000 N. Willamette Blvd. ● Portland, OR 97203-5798
At 56, I don’t have many years left to impact that equation. At 18, 19 or twentysomething, you’re perfectly positioned to take the baton. The Beacon, the University of Portland’s weekly newspaper, has numerous opportunities to get you involved in the timely, and timeless, exercise of afflicting the comfortable and comforting the afflicted. The jobs don’t pay all that much. But they will involve you, in unique and novel ways, in your campus, your church, your college and your community. Those jobs will introduce you to both the comfortable and the afflicted, allowing you to decide for yourself which fraternity deserves your empathy and which warrants your vigilance. Neither the editors of The Beacon nor I can promise you there’s still a life-long career in this enterprise, of the kind that I have cherished. But if you are inspired to sign on, the afflicted will sleep a little easier and the comfortable will not. And there are far worse epitaphs for your gravestone. Steve Duin is the Metro columnist for The Oregonian. He taught Feature Writing at UP last fall.
Staff Writers
PJ Marcello, John McCarty, Bruce Garlinghouse, Elizabeth Vogel, Jocelyne LaFortune, Caitlin Yilek, Jonathan Cruz, Sarah Hansell, Philippe Boutros, Amanda Blas, Will Lyons, Corey Faucett, Rachel McIntosh, Joanna Goodwin and Luke Riela.
Photographers
Alissa White, Kevin Kadooka, Bryan Brenize and Scott Chia Designer. . . . . . . . . . Elizabeth Tertadian and Andrea Jackle Business & Ad Manager . Emily Lindgren Artist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Samantha Heathcote Web Technician . . . . . . . . . . . . Bob Alger Circulation Manager. . . . . . . Sal Liotta Adviser. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nancy Copic Publisher . . Fr. E. William Beauchamp, C.S.C.