As some of you may know, I took over the features section a few weeks into last semester. When I was first briefed on what exactly my job would entail, I was drawn to the freedom to be creative with layouts and knowing what entertainment events were taking place. I knew I would have to communicate with writers to get articles, but this turned out to be the biggest challenge.
Every week, there is a process I go through to ensure I will be prepared for the next Tuesday night when the paper gets laid out and finalized. Starting on Wednesday, I look over the events listed in the what’s happening page and determine which of those I would like covered. I then send out my leads e-mail to the list of writers I have, and those interested respond within a couple days. I initially had a few steady writers, but in general the response from these leads e-mails was very poor.
As the semester progressed, I found myself having to write more, even events that were running top-fold—that is, they were considered the main event. I tried different methods to get through to writers, and I even tried to bribe my friends into writing when I knew they would be at an event. It became clearer to me that doing everything I could to scrap for articles was still not nearly enough.
While I was struggling, people were expressing their disappointment with my section. Organizations that had previously received a lot of coverage, which was well-deserved for always putting on a good show, were now seeing themselves stripped from the spotlight. I always tried to respond to this displeasure by explaining how I run my section and the difficulties I had been facing, hoping they would show some understanding.
Unfortunately, even though it was acknowledged that I was at least trying, I knew I could not keep using the same excuses repeatedly. I was starting to get stressed myself, as I wished I could fill in when no one else was available. I was also tired of having to answer complaints by people who do not know how the section works behind the scenes. The same general message was coming from their letters: Well, how come this or that did not have an article, as if I should be perfectly capable of having an article for every event held on campus.
It is with this continual unhappiness and my increased stress that I decided to start off this semester on a different note. I let myself get bent out of shape every time there was a negative response to the previous week’s section, but I have since come to realize I really did do everything I could by myself. I am now turning to you, the reader, to make an effort to see some changes. Instead of complaining to me that something should have been covered, take that time and effort to write an article. If you want a more well-rounded features section, then it is time to help us achieve that.
Although this may come off to some as useless grumbling, I hope some of you will see this as my plea for writers. If you are serious about wanting to help, e-mail features@poly.rpi.edu and together we can make this a smoother semester.
