Want to write, join us!

Welcome back to Duke everyone! As some of our beloved university’s 15,000 students head back into the safety and warmth (relatively speaking of course) of the Duke bubble, change seems to be in the air in the spirit of the new year. On East, the sound of old, first-semester first-year friendships disintegrating in the face of rush has finally overtaken the sound of construction with the completion of Duke’s newest mega-dorm. Here in the offices of the Chronicle, the electoral process for selecting a new editor in chief for the 114th volume is underway in order to truly “Make the Chronicle great again!” Meanwhile, on editorial board, things are very much the same despite the new year; merrily we go on critiquing and commenting on campus life and the outside world in our safe little glass box in West Union.

With the spirit of change in the air at Duke, we extend an invitation to all members of the Duke community to join us on editorial board as full participating, voting and writing members. For those unfamiliar with what we do specifically, simply put: we discuss, vote on and write the editorials for the Chronicle. Ever since 2006, when the editor in chief moved to separate the editorial board into an independent department within the Chronicle, our section has devoted itself to commenting on a wide variety of news topics—whether it be international, national, local or campus-specific—in the spirit of facilitating important discussions within the Duke community. Editorials on Greek life, housing, the never-ending tuition hikes or maybe even a think-piece centered on campus dining—someone pitches it, we write it!

Here at Duke, the experience of being a student on campus is by no means an easy one. Along with finding friends, keeping up with club commitments, maintaining one’s GPA, evading the sexual assault epidemic on campus, fighting mental illness—all the while maintaining that façade of “effortless perfection”—the Duke bubble can often leave us speechless and at a loss for words. As a member of a news body designed to be the mouthpiece of such frustrations, the editorial board is a perfect avenue to express such anxieties in an anonymous manner—whether it be through editorial critiques of the rush process or a condemnation of the administration’s response to sexual assault cases. Of course, being a diverse body of student journalists, such editorial discussions by the board often involve push-back and heated debates (in a civil manner of course) before we come around to a consensus opinion everyone can agree on. Though the many detractors of our student-oriented opinion journalism may lay claims of “fake-news”, we like to see ourselves as we truly are: just a group of like-minded Duke students from all walks of life giving a voice to what is happening (or falling apart) around us.

If pitching, discussing and commenting on everything happening at Duke, the nation and beyond with other Duke students is something you are interested in, then join us! Every Duke student possesses a unique voice and perspective on campus, and we would love to have on board with us anyone who is willing to put that viewpoint to words. For more information, contact the chairs of the board, Sydney Roberts (srr30@duke.edu) and Alan Ko (ak365@duke.edu) for the application. And as always, good night and good luck Duke!

Note: This editorial was written by the chairs of the editorial board