The first and foremost goal of the Opinion section of Technician is to provide any and all students with a platform to voice opinions that foster discourse and critical thinking about campus happenings and events. Although the relevance to our readers and the level of discussion has fluctuated over the past year, our section has worked hard to maintain integrity and to stay true to its most important goal.
The Opinion section has undergone a number of changes over the past school year, not the least of which was a change in leadership, and a subsequent change in style and direction. Over the past semester, the Opinion section leaders have worked hard in tandem with the writers to elevate the level of discourse, to foster an open environment for students to utilize and to more closely connect our section with the rest of the paper, as well as the rest of the student body.
NC State is an incredibly unique university due to the diverse backgrounds of the 34,000 students who walk its campus daily. The Opinion section is an integral part of bringing together these many diverse backgrounds and therefore, a critical part of Technician. The past academic year has been tumultuous, as writers sought to explain the political phenomenon that occurred in November. The election undoubtedly shaped the freshman class’s experience in a way perhaps unmirrored by those who came to NC State before them.
As students across campus confront difficult questions about their own identities, try to gain a better understanding of the views held by their peers and find themselves in unsettling circumstances at NC State, the Opinion section is more important than ever. Our section is not a haven for any one view or ideology, but a powerful force of contrasting ideas and perspectives, reflecting the real identity of the Wolfpack.
Heading into a new academic year, we hope to provide a platform for discourse; however, be ready to defend your position no matter who you are or what position you take. A strong opinion, one that makes its reader question their preconceived views in a way they never have before, is supported by facts. Opinion columnists must always be on their feet, looking out for patterns in the news that suggest what the future might hold. The news section will tell you what is going on at NC State, and the opinion section will encourage you to cultivate your own views on ongoing events.
Why or how something is happening is just as important, if not more so, than what happened. Singular events turn into patterns, movements and structural changes; one or two views turn into a group raising their voices for change.
It is impossible for the paper to represent every single one of the 34,000 voices on campus in every single publication. Nonetheless, in the Opinion section, we want to try our best to make sure that as many people, groups, voices and opinions are represented as possible.
Over the coming year, the Opinion section will work to collaborate more with the Nubian Message, as well as with student organizations on campus, to ensure as well-rounded a perspective as possible. Our writers are students before anything else, who are active and integral parts of the student body and culture. Accurately representing and building discourse on what students are thinking and feeling is the foundation on which our section will be built.
So, do you think you have an opinion? Let’s see it in writing.
