Staff Editorial

Recently, the staff editorial – as well as the Opinions & Editorials section – has become a point of controversy, and rightly so. The Op/Ed section is meant to spark dialogue and facilitate free speech.
However, we would like to clarify the purpose of the staff editorial. Rather than representing just one writer’s opinion, it is meant to represent an opinion held by the majority of The Lawrentian’s editorial staff. This explanation is printed every week in a small black box at the bottom of the very page on which the staff editorial is printed, along with a disclaimer applying to all other opinions expressed in the section.
The staff editorial does not include a byline for the same reason that it is titled “Staff Editorial” – it is a group effort. Although normally written by the Opinions and Editorials Editor, authorship may change from week to week. The opinion expressed in the staff editorial is reviewed by everyone on the editorial board, the majority of whom must agree with the opinion therein in order for it to go to press. Therefore, targeting a single member – or former member – of the editorial board is not only ineffective but reflects a failure to understand the nature of the staff editorial.
This is not to say that we don’t want to hear what you have to say. By all means, please write in and tell us what you think about each and every subject that grabs your attention – but please keep your letter under 350 words, and send it in by 5 p.m. Monday if you would like it printed in the upcoming issue. We need to hear what you think – your reactions, your qualms – in order to keep the Op/Ed section alive.
On another note, please remember that we are human too, and we make mistakes. If you find any bits of misinformation in The Lawrentian, please tell us and we will be happy to print a correction. We strive for factual accuracy, but we are on a tight schedule, and sometimes we miss things. Factual errors are nothing personal – just details that may have been overlooked in the hustle and bustle of putting together a student newspaper.
In conclusion, we’d like to thank you for the vibrant dialogue in the Op/Ed section recently. Keep up the good work, and if something makes you mad, glad or just passionate, write in and make your voice heard!