Join the Editorial Board

Duke is rife with conversation. Every minute of every hour of every day, our students are engaged in discussion on every conceivable topic. From the dregs of Yik Yak to late common room conversations about politics, we banter about ideas as if our lives depended on being right. And as we progress academically, we move from the smallest freshman writing assignments to the most life-draining senior theses in the pursuit of academic greatness. And, there, setting the stage and watching us wander through undergraduate life and construction reroutes is Duke. But who gets to watch Duke grow and transform around us? It is today that we invite you to do so by joining The Chronicle’s Editorial Board.

To some, the Editorial Board is full of fiery and opinionated students debating endlessly for the right answer on an issue and, to others—whom I might be fabricating—we are a gathering of eloquent and well-mannered intellects engaged in high rhetorical fencing. But, to us, the Editorial Board is all that and more. The Editorial Board provides an opportunity to be part of an intellectual collaboration on five weekly editorial pieces on the most pressing campus issues. Although some issues are relatively straightforward, many are hot and divisive, requiring our room full of thinkers to discern structure and coherence from the chorus of voices. But, no matter the topic, we ultimately employ strong, direct and clear writing to communicate our thought-provoking discussions to readers.

And now is a more exciting time than ever to join that discussion. We are on the cusp of an exciting total curriculum overhaul, saw Duke Kunshan University taking its first toddling steps halfway around the world and find ourselves in the eye of a storm of campus dialogue about race relations and recent events. What better time could there be to seize the microphone and be heard by your peers? Duke and our student body never fail to satisfy and appear fully committed to keeping us on our toes as we keep our pulse of student opinion.

So, if you find yourself excited by debate, eager to defend your opinions and hankering to separate the wheat of intellectual debate from the chaff of brash popular opinion for our readers, then we are looking at you. If the only bias you suffer from is bias toward the force of the better argument, and if you enjoy laying out and tearing apart arguments to plant your rhetorical flag, then we are looking at you. If you are committed and dedicated with a flair for debate and clear writing, then we want to invite you to our table in Flowers 201.

Being on the Editorial Board at Duke means having the attention of student readers and influence over the daily reading of President Brodhead and upper level administrators. Here, you stand to learn how to quickly parse arguments, nail down core assumptions and sharpen your debate skills. So join our bi-weekly frenzy. Bring your best thinking cap and pack your most intellectually sensible punches, because the arena of campus discourse is looking for new contenders.

E-mail lg138@duke.edu if you are interested in joining the Editorial Board.