Students should take chance to express voice
Dear Gamecocks,
The Viewpoints section has always been a finicky part of The Daily Gamecock. Unlike News, The Mix or Sports, we don’t have a whole lot of structure — no budgets, very few set requirements for writers and no strict guidelines. Over the years, we’ve believed that only by allowing Viewpoints to be this way can we accurately do the job that this section is intended to do: Put a finger on the pulse of the student body.
In a way, this makes our section the most unpredictable section of all. Our columnists vary from year to year, and there’s no knowing what types of issues and opinions the wind will blow toward us each semester. What is predictable, however, is the criticism we receive. Through the course of time, our section has been dubbed everything from “amateur” to “the liberal rag.” On some occasions, we are, admittedly, all of these things.
It’s important to remember, though, that when it boils down, what we publish every single day is not really determined by me or any other editor on The Daily Gamecock staff. Rather, what we publish on our page every day is determined by you. The Viewpoints section is comprised solely of the voices of our readers — ordinary members of the student body who choose to express their ideas and submit to us every week. We don’t skew our content to reflect any one political view or any one side of an argument. What we get is what we run.
So with the start of a new semester, we feel that it’s our duty to remind all of you out there in the student body to speak now, or forever hold your peace. If you have an opinion, voice it. If you have reservations concerning what is normally published in Viewpoints, it’s up to you to change it. It’s ultimately as much your role to represent the voice of the student body as it is the role of those around you. We welcome all viewpoints equally — young, old, left wing, right wing. We welcome all dissidents, anarchists, capitalists and communists.
Let this be a call to action as we plod onward into another year. As a meagerly paid staff trying to get a college newspaper rolling every day, we need your input. It’s what fuels our newspaper. But even more important than that, your voice has the ability to impact the student body at USC and even beyond in our community. That is a power we should all strive to harness. So this semester, take advantage of the fact that we exist to serve you. The purpose of media is, after all, to allow the people to speak.
Sincerely,
Alice Chang
Viewpoints Editor
If you would like to submit a guest column to or be a regular columnist for Viewpoints, send an email to viewpoints@dailygamecock.com.