Newspaper of the Students
The Evergreen State College
Letter from the Editor
My ambitions at Evergreen were simple: journalism, writing, and maybe some French, music, and traveling on the side. I got involved with the Cooper Point Journal as soon as I’d dumped my clothes and minifridge in my dorm room and said a tearful goodbye to my parents.
Dazed as I was from the freshman experience, I had the audacity to apply for three positions at the CPJ. I became a page proofer and spent long days and even longer nights helping produce what was then a 16 to 24 page print edition.
Besides a love for the open-submissions policy of the CPJ, that was about the extent of my involvement. I didn’t do much outreach with the organization, and I couldn’t help resenting the times I’d stumble back to my dorm room at dawn--for all the wrong reasons.
It took me over a year to understand the difference between the Cooper Point Journal student organization and its news publication. Some people never get it.
See, the CPJ is quite unique. Unlike other college newspapers, we do not hire students, and we do not have employees. We understand that a college (especially Evergreen) needs an outlet and a forum for student expression. Students have recognized that for decades.
What is more, students have recognized that sometimes the traditional classroom experience-- even the break from tradition on which Evergreen prides itself-- is not enough. That’s why the CPJ organization’s purpose is to provide students with a learning laboratory.
The school does an exceptional job of providing students with opportunities like internships, contracts, and even employment. But the benefits of higher education lie in finding resources in one’s peers.
You need the Cooper Point Journal.
A student publication like the CPJ provides learning opportunities and resources not only for things like technology, journalism, ethics, and writing. It also gives students a chance to learn about and practice leadership, ethics, and critical thinking.
I believe it is so rare (yet fundamental) for students to have this opportunity-- where we are not put in classrooms and taught to write notes passively, but instead where we are challenged every hour of every day to think critically and reach full individual potential AND recognize the potential of an entire group.
The potential of the CPJ student group, unformed as it is in these wee hours of the 2011-12 school year, is monumental. There’s a lot to do. This year we’re accepting the challenge of producing a solely web-based publication-- one of the first for colleges anywhere.
The catch? The CPJ’s potential is significantly lessened without every student’s participation.
You don’t need to be a CPJ member to contribute.
You don’t need to be CPJ staff to be a member.
You don’t need to be an expert to want to learn.
I cannot stress this enough. It’s taken too many editors too long to figure out that students are the greatest asset this organization has. We are not a student organization without students. We are not a student publication without students.
The first (or next) time you rant or rave about something on campus, you’re going to wish the whole campus would pay attention. You’re going to wish someone would tell you the truth about the college budget. You’re going to wish you knew what local band to see next weekend.
I said before that you need the Cooper Point Journal for all this. But the truth? The truth is that you need your peers. You need yourself. And WE need you.
Besides a love for the open-submissions policy of the CPJ, that was about the extent of my involvement. I didn’t do much outreach with the organization, and I couldn’t help resenting the times I’d stumble back to my dorm room at dawn--for all the wrong reasons.
It took me over a year to understand the difference between the Cooper Point Journal student organization and its news publication. Some people never get it.
See, the CPJ is quite unique. Unlike other college newspapers, we do not hire students, and we do not have employees. We understand that a college (especially Evergreen) needs an outlet and a forum for student expression. Students have recognized that for decades.
What is more, students have recognized that sometimes the traditional classroom experience-- even the break from tradition on which Evergreen prides itself-- is not enough. That’s why the CPJ organization’s purpose is to provide students with a learning laboratory.
The school does an exceptional job of providing students with opportunities like internships, contracts, and even employment. But the benefits of higher education lie in finding resources in one’s peers.
You need the Cooper Point Journal.
A student publication like the CPJ provides learning opportunities and resources not only for things like technology, journalism, ethics, and writing. It also gives students a chance to learn about and practice leadership, ethics, and critical thinking.
I believe it is so rare (yet fundamental) for students to have this opportunity-- where we are not put in classrooms and taught to write notes passively, but instead where we are challenged every hour of every day to think critically and reach full individual potential AND recognize the potential of an entire group.
The potential of the CPJ student group, unformed as it is in these wee hours of the 2011-12 school year, is monumental. There’s a lot to do. This year we’re accepting the challenge of producing a solely web-based publication-- one of the first for colleges anywhere.
The catch? The CPJ’s potential is significantly lessened without every student’s participation.
You don’t need to be a CPJ member to contribute.
You don’t need to be CPJ staff to be a member.
You don’t need to be an expert to want to learn.
I cannot stress this enough. It’s taken too many editors too long to figure out that students are the greatest asset this organization has. We are not a student organization without students. We are not a student publication without students.
The first (or next) time you rant or rave about something on campus, you’re going to wish the whole campus would pay attention. You’re going to wish someone would tell you the truth about the college budget. You’re going to wish you knew what local band to see next weekend.
I said before that you need the Cooper Point Journal for all this. But the truth? The truth is that you need your peers. You need yourself. And WE need you.