Did you know 3 sexual assaults were reported on campus between 2013 – 2015? Did you know about new available parking on campus, or the changed budget policy for student clubs?
Numerous times this year, I have heard someone complaining about an issue happening on campus and referred them to our school newspaper, The Echo, for coverage that already occurred. While I know our paper tends to sit upon the distribution shelves, the staff exerts endless time and effort trying to find information about the issues that matter to students. School newspapers exist for the students, and journalists have a platform from which they can ask the important people challenging questions. Professors, administrators and others have a large obligation to speak to school journalists, and if they do not, it is simply a bad reflection upon the university.
Student-run newspapers, although they may not all be the equivalent of the Yale Daily News with Rory Gilmore, are a valuable aspect of universities to keep people accountable and the students aware. You should read the paper to support your classmates, find ways to get involved on campus, follow sports, learn more about your university and overall be an informed citizen of your school. To make the most of your education, learn to know what’s going on in your community.