For the past couple of weeks at USGA, The Charger Bulletin has been trying to get more clubs and organizations involved in using the newspaper to promote themselves and to advertise events. The lack of response to our invitation has been disheartening, especially since it is a perfect opportunity to show the university what your club or organization is involved in on campus and to attract new members.
A common misconception about The Charger Bulletin is that you have to be an English or Journalism major in order to write an article. This is at least the question we answer the most at club fairs. It is far from true, since neither Matt, the Editor-in-chief, nor I are anything close to English or Journalism majors. I am a Forensic Science major and have not taken a single journalism course here at the university. This proves that your major has nothing to do with it. So, everyone should be writing articles, whether you are majoring in anything from a science to an art.
Another “qualification” I think that many of you set for yourselves when considering writing something for The Charger Bulletin is that you have to be a fantastic writer. This is also far from what we expect from the articles submitted. All articles are read through by myself many times before they are printed. I have seen many different levels of writing, and as of now, there has not been anything that I could not decipher. So please, try it. I guarantee you that any article you submit is not as badly written as you would think it is. So give yourselves some credit, open up a word document, and give it a shot.
If you are wondering what possible benefit your club or organization would receive by publishing things in The Charger Bulletin, consider this. If an article is written about an event that has been a success, people reading the article might be interested in future events that particular club puts on. Also, a successful event shines a good light on your organization, especially since many members of the faculty and staff read the newspaper. Show this campus that your organization is accomplishing something important and that it is a success.
Another primary reason would be to advertise your events to the entire campus. If you send us a flyer for your event, it is bound to catch someone’s attention, especially since many people delete their emails without reading them on this campus. It might also attract new members to your organization. If you want to boost your attendance at meetings and events, maybe a new way to advertise is in order. If you would like to submit a flyer, email it in pdf form to [email protected] by Thursdays at 5:00 p.m. for the following week’s paper.
Now that you are all overwhelmed, where do you start? Luckily for you, we here at The Charger Bulletin just opened up a new feature in the newspaper entitled “Organization Spotlight.” If you are in a club or organization that would like to have their organization spotlighted in our paper, have someone send in a short article (about half a page, single spaced) about the club or organization. Feel free to include a picture of all of your members to go along with the article. Since it’s opening, we have only had one organization take advantage of the feature. We’d like to see more people partake.
If you are having trouble writing an article, what some advice, or even just have a question, feel free to stop by and visit The Charger Bulletin on the third floor of Bartels. Next year, I plan on hosting a workshop or two for clubs, organizations, and those just interested in becoming staff writers on writing for a newspaper. But remember, it honestly isn’t that hard. If you have any questions at all, but can’t make it during one of my office hours, feel free to email me at [email protected]. I look forward to seeing many new articles. So if you are interested in becoming a staff writer, email us at [email protected].
