Staff Editorial

The student paper requires a critical element: students

The Daily Cougar is stuck in a rut: we are extremely low on manpower. We are looking for writers, copy editors, and columnists. We have talented people on our staff and we appreciate their hard work, but for a campus as diverse as UH – second in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report in 2009 – the paper is full of primarily communication majors of a similar ilk (and we’re all overworked).

Where is the rest of the campus?

Perhaps you think The Daily Cougar is a big joke; the laughing stock of the campus. This is your opportunity to change that perception, bulk up your resume and get coverage for what you think is important. Because chances are that a lot of other people think it’s important too.

Are you involved with the Houston music scene? Are you in a college that always wants more coverage? Are you a sports fanatic? Are you a technology guru, always keeping up with the latest and greatest gadget? Do you know a professor who deserves to have his or her story told?

Do you skim through these pages thinking you could do a better job than us?

If so, show us.

You should get involved with your school’s paper and make it your own. Leave your mark. You’ll never have an easier opportunity to get published and you never know the doors it could open.

All majors from all colleges are encouraged to get involved. Professors, too, have the opportunity to write columns for the opinion section.

Communication majors are important too, though. In fact, if you’re a communication major reading this, and you’re not involved in the paper, you should probably change your major unless you already have a job at the Houston Chronicle, the Houston Press or the Houston Business Journal. That, or you should get involved. When you graduate, a potential employer is going to ask to see your resume and portfolio and, if you have nothing, you’re not getting the job. Period.

You may read this and laugh, but ask yourself what you’re doing with your college career. If you fall into the category of a student who comes to campus, goes to class and then leaves campus, you might want to reprioritize.

Our newspaper should be as diverse as our students. We know you’re out there, and we want your participation.

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