Every so often, old traditions change. What worked for one time period may not always work for another.
Duke is no stranger to this. We've integrated the Woman's College into Trinity College. We've traded in Duke stone for Edens rock-and now, for Bell Tower brick. Today we can see the Bryan Center walkway giving way to the new West Campus Plaza.
And although Duke stone, the Woman's College and the BC walkway may have served their purposes, alternatives were ruminated over, and risks were taken to replace them.
The Chronicle's editorial board will soon be going through such a change.
The editorial board, as it is currently structured, has been in place since the beginnings of The Chronicle.
Over time, it has been a institution dear to its staff members. I cannot count the number of times I started a Sunday production day by coming to The Chronicle office and debating with my fellow editors. After discussing issues ranging from ARAMARK, Corp., to fraternity rush results, from move-in dates to bonfires, I have loved formulating an opinion and seeing it in the next day's staff editorial.
Bagel and orange juice in hand, sitting under the staff's tribute to Matt Sclafani, who passed away during his term as editor in 1992, editboard has taught me more about this University and how it functions than I could have ever imagined.
But traditions change.
I, along with the current editorial staff, have decided to adopt a new model for The Chronicle's editorial board. Many papers, including most professional newspapers, like The New York Times, and many college papers, like The Harvard Crimson, have such a model.
So, in order to assure our readers that The Chronicle's news coverage is fair and balanced, we will no longer invite news staff and news editors to pass judgment on the very issues on which they report by way of the staff editorial.
This change is not a response to a specific incident. Rather, it is a step that many staff members have proposed in the past-an issue we have considered as a staff for several years. Now, after significant efforts to ensure quality control standards on our editorial pages this year, we are in a position to take another major step toward improving the content of these pages.
That said, The Chronicle will strive to separate its reporters from the opinion pages for the 102nd volume.
We will welcome a group of students to join our board as at-large members. As such, they will participate in board discussions and help draft each editorial.
They will join me, the editorial page managing editor and the editor of The Chronicle on the board. In addition to helping with layout and editing duties, associate editorial page editors will also be members of the board. These positions will be filled at a later date.
At-large members will go through a rigorous admission process, including an application submission and in-person interview with the editorial page editor.
We are looking for Duke's best and brightest-a think tank of sorts that is able, excited and ready to influence campus discussion. We want a diverse group of motivated individuals that can take a critical eye to University life, criticize and praise it when appropriate and most of all, act as a student voice to administrators, faculty, student leaders and the rest of our readership.
Members of the editorial board should show a dedication to The Chronicle and to the principles of journalism. They should have a mature understanding of how the University functions on various levels and should be able to offer diverse and insightful opinions in editorial board discussions.
Every student, undergraduate, graduate and professional, is encouraged to apply for a position on the board.
In addition, all students are eligible to apply to be columnists.
Applications for at-large editorial board positions, columns-including Monday, Monday-are outside The Chronicle's office on the third floor of the Flowers Building.
All applications are due Saturday, April 22. E-mail me at dbe@duke.edu if you have any questions or concerns.
Dan Englander is a Trinity sophomore and incoming editorial page editor of The Chronicle.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.