By Patrick Healy
Thanks are first owed to Ms. Debbie Owens, Title IX Coordinator and New Griff Orientation Director, for supporting The Griffin’s new Orientation Edition. The success of that edition helped us transition into this first regular edition and hopefully introduced this paper to first year students. Thank you also to those students who came to our General Body Meeting last week. We were thrilled to share our space with you, though we trust you won’t divulge any of the clubroom’s secrets now that you have been initiated…
Some things, like student journalist shenanigans, do not change, but others, like the paper we produce in our beloved basement, do. Here are some of my editorial initiatives as I lead The Griffin alongside its editor-in-chief, and my dear friend, Julia Barth.
Policy changes
1. I am excited to announce the return of the Public Safety Blotter. A common feature through the 1990s volumes of this paper and a popular column in many local and collegiate newspapers, the Blotter will tentatively debut next week. Courtesy of Chief Kim Beaty, readers will find reports of incidents fielded by Public Safety over the preceding week. As it is new, the content and presentation of the Blotter is subject to change. I thank you in advance for your patience and feedback.
2. The way I led the Opinion section last year was not ideal. I will work with Grace Brown, my successor as Opinion Editor, to make the editorial more collaborative and contributor articles more common. It is my intention that editorials again, as much as possible, reflect the opinion of a majority of editors rather than the beliefs of an appointed opinion czar. In the interest of intelligibility and accountability, they will be written by a sole editor and include their initials.
2a. Something that will remain mostly unintelligible and wholly unaccountable in the Opinion section are the Notes from Underground, though I would like to know if readers enjoy the Notes, or if they desire something more… “polite”. And The Underground tells me that they are a surprisingly taxing column to write! Speaking of contacting us …
3. We will return your emails now! The Griffin apologizes for any unreturned emails sent to our official emails—either griffin@canisius.edu or thegrffn@canisius.edu—over the past year(s). I discovered that a filter had been turned on which blocked all incoming emails from other @canisius.edu addresses. The date is unknown; the reason is inexplicable. I’ve disabled the filter, and Julia and I will monitor the email with renewed vigilance.
Attitude changes
Glitches like the unknown email filter described above are one of the problems with the internet, which is part of why we value a printed newspaper over an online version. Yet, because we print weekly, this paper costs students upwards of $20,000 per year to publish. We aim to make your investment worthwhile.
So, please, write to us. Scrutinize us like we will scrutinize student government and Canisius administration. Because one of the central functions of a student newspaper is to foster campus discussion, one of my goals is to increase the number of letters to the editor we can publish in reaction to Griffin articles or other news items.
Even better than writing to us is working with us. Writing, editing, taking photos, and doing layout for The Griffin is difficult but rewarding work. On that note, we will be restarting editor office hours this year, once the new clubroom keypads are installed. When the door is open, please stop in to review a recent article, suggest an idea you would like us to consider pursuing, or discuss a contribution you want to make yourself.
Especially with the end of the Azuwur yearbook a decade ago, The Griffin serves as a record of student organizations and opinion. Let us know what you are doing and thinking, and maybe you will look back in the Griffin archives in twenty years to see how much you have grown.
Speaking of having much to learn, we recognize the number of faculty and other employees who pick up a paper on the weekly. Your years at Canisius likely number more than ours, but even if they don’t, your advice as accomplished professionals is appreciated. We encourage you to contribute to The Griffin, whether through published letters to the editor or informal suggestions.
Julia, I, and the editorial staff hope to make this volume of The Griffin the best it can be. We cannot hope for the administration to be accountable to us as students if we are not accountable to our own constituents: you, our loyal readers. The Orientation Edition demonstrates that effort on our part will not lack, but the journey to greater heights will require audience feedback. Our email is (now) always open. We appreciate in advance your active readership.