Student involvement in campus newspapers has its benefits, should be seen as a priority

I look forward to reading the Student Voice each week, but I have found the recent lack of columnists both disheartening and disappointing.

Maybe there has been a lack of columnists for a long time. This issue has existed for at least the period of time I have been on campus, except when I was writing columns I didn’t notice that there was such a lack of work by others. I was too enthralled in the excitement of seeing my own work published.

My friend attends UW-Madison and has recently expressed interest in the journalism program, or the “J-school,” as he refers to it. But my question to him is, "Why haven’t you gotten involved in their student newspapers?"

I know how active the dedicated can be. Whether it be Natalie Howell and Katie Galarno here at UWRF’s Student Voice, or my friend from Eau Claire, Sammy Gibbons, the campus news editor for The Daily Cardinal in Madison. Why are so few involved in something that matters so much?

Is it the increase in blogs and access to publishing one’s own website? Hell, if there was any money in blogging I’d be doing it myself. The benefit of writing for the Student Voice is the immediate response possible.

Certainly not everyone on campus is reading the paper, but surely enough are to receive recognition. The internet offers numerous opportunities to get noticed, but that isn’t truly as satisfying as being able to connect with people right here on your campus that otherwise might not find your work online.

Regardless of the battle between print and the internet, we need more student writers to enrich our lives and fill the paper. It shouldn’t take professors offering extra credit to do so, but that certainly would be an exciting opportunity.

Professors could have the chance to see their students write about important topics covered in class such as the effects of calcium on beef cattle for an animal nutrition class, or the increase in social media spreading fake news for a political science class. If students step up, it will add joy to my Thursday, and to many others as well.