My name is Wade Kerr, and I have recently been promoted to Editor-in-Chief of The Lion’s Roar. Tracy Valentine, our previous head honcho, came to a fork in the road of life and chose a path that will better prepare her for her chosen career. Unfortunately, this path was one that diverged from us here at Student Publications.
Tracy has accepted a position as a teaching assistant while she earns a master’s degree in English. This position is fitting, as Tracy is a natural teacher. I have learned a lot in my two years under her command. She has displayed extreme patience during the most trying of times. From deadlines missed by writers, to last minute news coverage of events, to tragic accidents that have shaken the university to its very core, Tracy was ever the picture of grace and composure.
She has made wise choices that have lead this paper to reach new levels of excellence through the numerous journalism awards it has received under her guiding hand. I promise that I will do my best to follow her lead and continue down the path of excellence.
Thank you, Tracy, for being a good teacher, an excellent role model and an exceptional friend.
Now that my brief introduction is over and my sappy good bye to Tracy is over, I would like to give you some guidelines on how you can have your story told. Here at The Lion’s Roar, and down the hall at Le Souvenir yearbook, we are dedicated to documenting the events that impact our community here at Southeastern. We are often there to report on the awards and achievements of individual students and faculty members. We bring to you the excitement of victory and sorrow of defeat during numerous sporting events. When tragedy strikes or accolades are achieved, we tell the story.
There are so many stories to tell and events to document that we may not always have the opportunity to cover them because we may not know about them. This is where you, dear reader, can lend a helping hand. When you know something is going on, let us know. Pick up the phone and call (985) 549-3527, send us an e-mail at [email protected] for news coverage or send an e-mail to [email protected] for yearbook coverage. Better yet, poke your head in our door and give us a holler. We are located in the Student Union, Room 211, right around the corner from the Student Government Association office.
Although we love getting story ideas from the campus, we do generate our own leads and may not be able to pursue all of the story ideas you may send us. If this happens, it is by no means a slight on any individual; it’s just what happens. To lessen the chances of your event or idea not receiving coverage, there are some guidelines you should follow.
Please let us know what’s going on as soon as possible. If you rush in here to let us know you’re having a fundraiser down in the Union right now, chances are it is not going to get covered. I have spent over two days looking at the dates events will be happening during the semester in order to plan what articles will go in what issues. So, the sooner you can tell me about your idea or event, the better its chances of making it into the paper.
Also, if we are going to do your story justice, we will need some information. Think back to elementary English: who, what, where, when, why and how.
Who are you? If this is an organizational event, great. Give us the name of the organization and the name of a person to contact with contact information. It’s easier to call and ask Joe Bob what is happening than to track down various members of an organization because all we were supplied with was the name of Random Organization. Please provide the contact person’s first and last name, classification, major and a contact number or e-mailaddress. If this is an organizational event, give your title within the organization as well. For faculty and staff, provide your title within the university.
What is going on? Is this a fundraiser, a social event, a protest or what? Tell us what you are doing.
Where is it occurring? Please be specific. If you’re doing something in the Student Union, tell us where. There’s the Student Union Mall, the theater, the ballroom, etc.  Providing us precise locations, such as buildings and room numbers, will help ensure coverage.
When is it happening? What day and time is what you want us to cover going on? If this is a non-event related idea, when did the incident occur? Is a fun event going to happen next week and students should know about it or did something tragic or spectacular happen last semester but could still impact people’s lives today? For something upcoming, please give us at least a week’s notice.
Why is this happening? Are you raising money to buy new shirts for your student organization? Is your sorority raising money for a member who has been diagnosed with a tragic illness? Did you discover the means of time travel over the summer and you feel everyone should know how to travel back in time and not enroll in that horrible class? The more newsworthy the story is, the better its chances of making it to print.
How do people get involved? Can people walk by your table and buy a tasty brownie? Should they all rally around with picket signs in demonstration? Can they simply sign their names on a list to get a salad bar back in the Lion’s Den? The more specific you are, the better your chances are of generating interest.
OK, I’m going to climb off of this soapbox and get back to sending my reporters out on assignments. I look forward to hearing from you, valued reader, and promise to continue the streak of excellence this paper saw under the past editor’s reign.