On behalf of the Alligator editorial board, I want to welcome all of the new and returning students to UF.
I myself am a new student to UF and will be starting my first semester of graduate studies this week.
During the last two and a half years, I was a columnist for my campus newspaper. It was one of the best experiences of my college career. I became a better writer, of course, but I also learned so much more about my own ideas.
Writing, I have found, is the best way for people to really discover whether they know why they believe the things they say on a daily basis.
I look forward to a great semester of opinions, debates and perhaps even a hate-filled letter to the editor every once in a while.
The only thing that's missing from the equation is, well, writers.
The opinion pages of any newspaper are for those who have strong opinions and can formulate those ideas in a manner that influence the debate surrounding the major issues of a city, state, nation or, in our case, a college campus.
No, you don't have to be a Pulitzer-Prize-winning columnist or even a journalism major for that matter. But you do have to write well and consistently.
At the Alligator, we are looking to have at least five consistent columnists per week, but guest columns will always be welcome. If you believe you have the time, the stamina and the tenacity for taking a strong stand on any issue once a week, please, by all means, apply to be a regular columnist.
Sorry, we do not pay our columnists, but if you are passionate about the issues, it should not make much of a difference. Plus, having the experience and a few clippings won't hurt you when you're looking for jobs in the future.
The opinions pages are a place for the exchange of ideas. It is my goal to make sure that ideas are, in fact, exchanged day to day by offering a diverse set of opinions from our regular columnists. For this semester, I would like to have at least two right-leaning columnists and two left-leaning columnists.
Of course, just because we are a campus newspaper does not mean you have to write about campus issues. Campus issues will be given priority, but if you want to talk about what those horrible people are doing on the House Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry, have at it.
All I ask is that you take a stand and defend your position. If you actually take the time to write out and defend your opinion, you might actually learn more about the issue or even change your position.
I am looking for columns between 500 and 650 words in length. Please note that for guest columnists, submission does not guarantee publication. Anything that is worthy of publication will be edited, and your title that you worked on for three weeks will probably change - no offense.
The opinions pages are not for personal vendettas and especially not defamatory statements. Please read up on libel before submitting a column.
"Alright, Justin, I've got a column. Now what?"
Send columns to opinions@alligator.org as an attachment. The subject line should be as follows: Alligator Column - Topic - Your Last Name.
If you are thinking of applying for a regular columnist position, please email me at the email address above with the following: Name, political philosophy, a brief statement of why you think you would make a good columnist and at least three links to previous writings. If you do not have a blog, Facebook note or previous published work, I would ask that you submit at least two guest columns in the coming weeks.
Have a great semester, and I hope to hear from you soon.
Justin Hayes is a graduate student at UF with a major in political communication.
