With campus life back in full swing, many of us are frantically jotting down lists of things to be done for the upcoming school year on any surface within reach. Whether it’s in the margins of a class syllabus, on the old reliable notes app, on crumpled receipts or even to-go coffee cups (trust me, I’ve been there), anything is fair game when it comes to getting our stuff together in time for the start of the semester.
If you’re anything like me, you need a good to-do list to get anything done. I’m proud to say that, so far, I’ve already checked plenty off of mine: start my job as editor-in-chief of The Sunflower, produce our first newspaper for the semester and, during our first week of print production, celebrate turning 21.
One of my favorite birthday gifts was a notebook from my former news partner and cohort, Courtney. Now, armed with pen and paper (along with plenty of determination and a near-crippling fear of failure), I’m ready to dive headfirst into my list of to-dos for The Sunflower this year. And you, the reader, play an important part.
The Sunflower is entirely student-centric. Our content, from stories to colorful illustrations to podcast episodes to Instagram posts, is catered to your needs — what you need to know about your community, your campus and, ultimately, your future.
Without you, we’re like a band with no fans, a university with no students, or a politician with no lies to distract from poor policymaking (that being said, keep an eye out for our election guide in October).
Our student news organization has grown in numbers over the past several years, allowing us to increase the scope of our coverage.
And while we’ve earned national recognition and top awards for our work, we do this work for you.
Our mission is to serve the campus community by covering what’s going on through an independent lens. We work to provide a forum for student voices while shining a light on the subjects that impact your day-to-day life, as well as longer-term issues that go beyond college. And trust me, that is no small feat.
Our editors and staff work long and sometimes weird hours, and I’ve seen firsthand the toll that takes on our reporters, photographers, designers, illustrators and editors. The long production nights, the early mornings delivering papers and the countless, thankless hours spent pouring over meeting minutes, story revisions and news tips.
Through it all, though, we love and relish every moment of what we do. For some, it gives us a larger purpose — contributing good, quality news into the seemingly endless sea of misinformation.
For others, it’s a great opportunity to build a resume and work portfolio. But for most of us, it’s because we know that we are just like you, and we all need a reliable source of information on the things that matter most to us.
So, if you’re still building your to-do list, on behalf of the entire Sunflower staff, please consider adding us to your routine — whether you read our weekly print paper, listen to our podcast on your way to campus, or consume our content online. I promise you won’t regret it.
