By David KucinskasThe Daily Northwestern(originally published 2/26/07)
Last night you found out who won an Oscar. Next weekend you’ll find out how much money Dance Marathon raised. In three weeks you’ll find out what this quarter did to your GPA.
And in four weeks you’ll discover who the Spring Quarter Daily columnists are.
But in order for that momentous announcement to be made, the Forum staff needs applicants. So we appeal to you, dear readers, to answer the call to keyboards and hit us with your best verbal broadsides. Specifically, we’re looking for prospective columnists to send us two 550-word sample columns, a 150-word biography and five potential column ideas.
Columns can involve any facet of the great pantheon of human experience. Be creative. Write a critique of dining hall food from the perspective of a Parisian chef. Tell the life story of Willie the Wildcat (uncensored).
Be funny. Let your razor-sharp wit and unerring talent for sowing hilarity leave your readers gasping for air as laughter consumes their very souls.
Be serious. Jump up onto your soapbox and let the world know why you’re right and everyone else is wrong. Investigate the heart out of your favorite topic, or make heard an underrepresented voice. Write about the things that you believe aren’t given proper treatment elsewhere.
Be radical. Are you a sympathizer of the Earth Liberation Front, an anarchist or just a mechanical engineer who can write sonnets that rival those of Shakespeare? Then we hope you would consider being a part of our page. We’d love to hear from you.
Are you an Evanston resident? Do you have a few things you would like to let Northwestern students know about? Then by all means, consider sending in your application.
Are you a graduate student or a faculty member? The Daily wants to hear from you too. After all, we’re The Daily Northwestern, not The Daily Undergraduate Journalism Student.
But let me caution you, good applicants, the life of a columnist is fraught with danger to reputation and ego. You must be thick of skin and strong of opinion.
People may write letters to the editor about what they perceive as your incompetence, ignorance or all-round idiocy. Guest columns may be submitted to refute you. And the lucky few columnists will even have rallies organized to protest against their ideas.
Members of the Dance Marathon executive board or the Associated Student Government may give you death looks over their lattes when you see them at Starbucks because you have dared criticize their decisions in print.
Yet the benefits of columnisthood are many. For the effort of writing something like 500 words a week, you can enjoy the renown of place and power, if only for a quarter.
Random people will hit on you at Nevins, and they won’t all be Kellogg graduate students. The glassy-eyed fellow at the frat party who just did a keg stand will stop in his tracks, shake his head and say, “Dude, your column rocked!”
But most importantly, you get to tell everyone who reads the Forum page what you think once a week for the entire quarter. And you don’t have to be the next Pete Hamill or Molly Ivins. The Forum staff will help you along.
So show us what you’ve got. Please send all application materials (two 550 word columns, a biography, and five column ideas) [email protected] by March 19.
Spring Quarter Forum Editor David Kucinskas is a Medill senior. He can be reached [email protected].
