When we introduce new volunteers to The Uniter, we often start by telling them that The Uniter is a learning paper. What does that mean?

We have a staff of editors, designers, writers, and photographers to work on the core content of the paper, but a good chunk of each issue comes from volunteers.

You’ll notice a little box on the bottom of this page labelled “Contributors.” Those are all the people who submitted their work for this issue of the paper – writers, photographers and illustrators. Everyone has their own reason to contribute to The Uniter, but regardless of the medium, it’s an opportunity to build a portfolio and get some solid feedback on your work from those who’ve been doing it just a little bit longer.

Our hope is that through every article that our contributors write, they learn something new about journalism, about crafting a piece or about their own process. We all benefit from each other’s expertise as staff as well.

We want to keep our standards high but attainable. Every single piece may not achieve an A+ in a journalism course, but it might bring a voice forward that you wouldn’t normally hear. It might be written in a more familiar tone. It might tell a story you can’t find in other media outlets. 

As we get rolling in this publication year, we’re also going to be offering more workshops for volunteers and staff to develop their skills and hear from industry pros. Mark your calendars for Sept. 28, when we’ll be holding a lunch-hour Interviewing Basics Q&A in the Uniter office (ORM14 in the Bulman Centre.) Watch for more details in the next issue.

While we’re learning all the ins and out of putting this paper together for you every week, we hope you’re also learning a little bit more about our city and campus. And if this sounds like something you’d like to get involved in, then jump in! 

Every Wednesday, we hold open orientations for writers from 12:30-1:30 p.m. at the Uniter office, or you can email Alana at [email protected] for more information. Photographers can get in touch with Daniel at [email protected]. Scott, our Creative Director, is looking for illustrators and comic artists, so if that’s you, email [email protected]. And as always, if you have any questions about the paper, or there’s something you’d like to see here that we’re missing, let me know: [email protected].

 

-Anastasia Chipelski

Published in Volume 70, Number 2 of The Uniter (September 17, 2015)