Art by Sacha Irick
Today the screaming stops, classes start and the Graphic hits stands with our first issue of the 2014-2015 academic year.
We promise you will not be seeing crazy-excited upperclassmen running around in orange shirts. We have absolutely nothing to do with them. But we’re still excited you’re here. We, the Graphic staff, would like to take this opportunity to introduce ourselves to Pepperdine’s Class of 2018.
We won’t be yelling at you, though. Instead, we’ll be writing to you, because that’s what we do best.
First thing’s first. We run a weekly print paper and a daily website. You know those orange stands you’ve seen around campus but probably ignored? That’s us. We know that most of you think our content is the typical, boring informational weekly newspaper — you are wrong. The print publication includes four sections: News, Sports, Life & Arts and Perspectives.
The history of our award-winning newspaper is as long as the history of Pepperdine itself. The Graphic’s first issue was published in the fall of 1937. We’ve been publishing ever since.
With the exception of this week, fresh copies of our newspaper will grace those stands every Thursday. And now that you know that, we’ll take it personally whenever you walk past our stands without picking up a copy. I mean, who wouldn’t want to read one of our stories?
The piece that you are reading now, the unsigned staff editorial, runs in the Perspectives section each week. This space serves as a forum where Graphic staff members collectively take a stance on an issue and present that opinion to the reader — sometimes silly, sometimes serious. In the past, we have featured ballers on a wrecking ball, the ring-by-spring phenomenon and the dangers of drunken driving.
You may not always agree with what we have to say, and we encourage you to voice your disagreements. Write a letter to the editor. Comment on pepperdine-graphic.com. Interact with us on social media. Get plugged in by liking us on Facebook and following us at the handle @PeppGraphic on Twitter and Instagram.
In that respect, it’s important to realize that we may report on things that you wish hadn’t made the headlines. For example, if your friend is arrested in a drunken bar fight at Duke’s where he punched a professor straight in the kidney, we’ll most likely hear about it and report on it. We’re not out to get you, we’re just here to state the facts and stop the rumor mill.
We’ll be at the sixth annual CultureFest and Club Fair (CF2) event Sept. 10 to talk all things Pepperdine Graphic Media. Stop by our table to find out how to become a part of the Graphic team, learn more about us as an organization or even throw some story ideas our way; we are always open to new ideas and contributors.
Our staff represents a wide range of backgrounds — a mix of majors and grades. Believe it or not, we aren’t all Journalism majors or English minors.
We’re a motley crew that comes together under a common goal: to publish creative and compelling content. We work hard every week to create content that all of us here at Pepperdine can relate to right now. Below is the statement that guides us:
“The Graphic is an editorially independent weekly student newspaper for the greater Pepperdine community. It serves the community with news, opinion, contemporary information and a public forum for discussion. The Graphic strengthens students for purpose, service and leadership by developing their skills in writing, editing and publication production, by providing a vehicle to integrate and implement their liberal arts education and by developing students’ critical thinking through independent editorial judgment. The Graphic participates in Pepperdine’s Christian mission and affirmations, especially the pursuit of truth, excellence and freedom in a context of public service. Although the Graphic reports about Pepperdine and coordinates with curricula in journalism and other disciplines, it is a student and not a university publication. Views expressed are diverse and, of course, do not correspond to all views of any university board, administration, faculty, staff, student or other constituency.”
So, now that you all have a better understanding of who we are and what we do, hopefully you’ll feel encouraged to read us or perhaps even join us up here in the newsroom.
We’ll leave the lights on for you, just in case.
__________
Follow the Graphic on Twitter: @PeppGraphic
