As someone who isn’t a journalism major, I can still safely say that cutting pages from the Tribune would be one of the worst decisions Marquette could make for the students of the Diederich College of Communication. It provides crucial experience for those students that want to pursue a career in print media and last time I checked, Marquette existed to educate students, not make money. A student newspaper should not be counted on to support itself as that is not it’s purpose. Of course revenue from advertisements can help, but the length or features of an educational publication should not be tied to them.
I spent three years working my way up to managing editor of my high school’s paper and one semester as a designer for the Tribune and both experiences were amazing. While the skills I gained from both may not seem to be directly applicable as I have no intention of working in the newspaper or even news business, they truly were. There are very few other experiences you can gain in school that come this close to being an actual job without having to go into an office every day. You have to apply, meet deadlines, work as a small part in a large organization and hone your craft to a professional standard. How can this be accomplished in such a small space? There are more than 44 staff members that produce the paper twice every week. Does anyone really think that eight pages is enough to fully showcase the talents of that many students? Work for a class is great. You have professors and other students appraising your work, but it just cannot compare to writing for a publication. Classwork is just an assignment, nobody outside of the room really sees it whereas something like the Tribune is seen campus and possibly worldwide. In an ever growingly competitive job market, students that have such real world experience will be miles ahead of anyone else.
I’m sure you’re tired of reading my ramblings but to anyone that has made it this far the main point is cutting any pages from the Tribune would be a disgrace. A school can’t say it cares about its students and then take away a large group’s means to showcase their talents and grow.
Andrew Abraham
Senior, College of Communication
