The Wake

Dear Fees Committee,

We have met before. Most likely you do not remember me, as I was a fawning journalist at the time (and a fawning journalist still). I was asked by my friend and co-worker Tom Ford to cover one of your spring meetings while he took a midterm. My job was to get the latest updates on the state of student groups’ fiscal allocations by your committee, a group whose initial votes creates an impact, but not a final say, on the prosperity of student organizations at the University of Minnesota. Tom went on to great success at the Minneapolis Star Tribune as a watchdog of the southwest metro area, while I remain here, finishing my college education, with disappointment for my future fellow journalists.

When I attended your meeting, I was at the Minnesota Daily. I had wedged my foot in the door by applying for “whatever is open,” and was hired as an office coordinator. As soon as a reporter intern position opened, I applied and was hired after the September 11th attacks. I may have been new, but I was dedicated, and any free time I had was spent in the office. Like many former and present Daily staff can claim, I lived at the Daily. Not only physically, where the newsroom couches provide a comfortable place for a nap, but emotionally as well. My heart and soul was in everything I did. I met my best friends there and through them, the love of my life. The Minnesota Daily is not only a place of employment, it is also a place to connect with people of similar interests. When I chose to move on, it wasn’t out of contempt for the job or the people; it was solely to continue and diversify my career.

One thing I learned very quickly in the J-school is the mixed feelings towards the Daily. Some students will strongly stand by a hatred of the newspaper, while others yearn to get in. Many have been turned away – turned away, mind you, by other students who are taking the same classes as them. I find it dangerous to dictate who is “good enough” for such a job at a student newspaper. It is a learning environment. After all, these students did get into the J-school and they may even have higher grades than their potential employer.

Coming to staff as the Opinions and Editorial Editor at the Wake was an exciting and scary change for me. I knew I wanted to provide more opportunities to my fellow classmates turned away from the Daily. I knew I wanted to help cultivate a fresh and innovate press. But I wasn’t sure how their publishers and business manager would handle the grant they graciously received last spring. I worried about their plans to become more serious to gain respect on campus, as their style, pre-grant, was rather playful and lighthearted. It seemed a place that was more dedicated to publishing what their readers would most enjoy – quirky anecdotes, new music talents and stories the Daily would never touch – traits that have made this newspaper so unique.

Perhaps the committee isn’t a fan of our content, and that’s fine – any responsible publication is open for suggestions. But we haven’t set out to only please you – our goal is, and remains, an alternative publication for students. We have reached out to them, and to the surrounding community, and received great response. I believe – although some of us wanted to be – that we are not in direct competition with the Daily. We may try to scoop them and find new angles to otherwise bland meeting reports, but I know there is still a lot of work to do. The Minnesota Daily is provided with a wise board of directors with volunteer members from the industry, and clearly, their staff and budget are much larger than ours. But you gave us an opportunity last year to create another outlet for J-school students to get published, to explore the campus with a different lens and to offer students new perspectives. At press time, your committee voted 7-4 in favor of no fees allocated to the Wake. What a waste of students’ money to throw that all away, instead of letting it foster and become something even better.

Imagine if we had to only resort to one newspaper in the Twin Cities, one company owning all radio and television broadcasts, fewer journalists overworked in several fields instead of more specialized on one beat – perhaps you’re in line with the FCC’s proposal to consolidate media. But if you read the eloquently written piece and found the rage in Eric Magnuson’s piece last fall, you’d understand the problems of this type of society. With a university system of approximately 60,000 students from multiple racial, ethnic and religious groups, how can you stand by a decision to only allow one voice from which the students can be heard? Many colleges have two or three student newspapers – Oregon has four. The university has had alternative newspapers in the past that have failed, due to lack of funding, due to lack of interest – we have the interest and we need your funding. With your continued support, the Wake can advance. Without, those of us graduating can only hope the students who believe in the Wake will continue it through dedication and volunteering.

The metropolitan area is filled with wonderful alternative presses: the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder - which I had the privilege to freelance with since last May - and Insight News offer the black community stories we never get to read in the Star Tribune or the Pioneer Press. The Spokesman was a staple in my childhood home and reminded me of all the stories out there, waiting to be told. Presses like the Hmong Times, the Asian American Press, the Circle, La Prensa, the Minnesota Women’s Press, Jewish World, and Lavender tell the untold stories. And with great weeklies and magazines like City Pages, the Utne, the Rake, the Pulse of the Twin Cities, Mpls./St. Paul magazine and Minnesota Monthly (my personal favorite), the Twin Cities is full of options for blooming journalists and intrigued readers. What a shame to have such a large university, one of great research and advancement in science, technology and the arts, be comprised by limiting its informers.

I can only hope you’ll make a smart decision and continue funding for the Wake. Granting support for alternative presses on this large diverse campus is in the best interest of everyone. Perhaps, as my career begins, I will be proud to say I graduated from a university that provided many options to its students – and perhaps my pride will translate into a gracious alumnus who has succeed, thanks to a great start.