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Newspapers have a long history in America as conveyers of information and as watchdogs of the U.S. government. They have an even longer history as tools of persuasion.

Still today, editorial pages of newspapers continue to be one of the most important elements in successful publications.

A good editorial page is designed to complement what is happening in the news. It conveys ideas, beliefs and thoughts written by and for the readers.

The opinion page at the Skiff is no different. Its goal is to be an outlet of ideas, thoughts, perspectives and opinions owned by those in the TCU community.

With nearly 8,000 students and approximately 1,300 faculty and staff representing 48 states and more than 70 countries, there should be competition to have your ideas published in the Skiff. In the past, student involvement in the opinion page has been disappointing.

We know you have opinions. We hear you talking about them with your roommate at 2 a.m. We see you discussing daily news in The Main. We watch you debate these opinions at the bar. So why not write them in the Skiff, or draw a cartoon if you are the artistic type?

College is about finding out who you are as an individual. For the first time in your life, most of you are starting to form your own opinions. Perhaps you’re realizing that although raised by staunch republicans, you’re actually a liberal independent.

Maybe you’re finding out that you think more like your parents than you’d like to admit. In any case, we’d like to hear from you.

Maybe you think George W. Bush is the best thing that ever happened to this country, or perhaps you’re ready to move to Canada with the Baldwin brothers. We’d like to hear from you.

Maybe you think the food in The Main is the best you’ve ever had, or maybe you think the progressive nature of Chancellor Michael Ferrari is a mistake for TCU. We’d like to hear from you.

Whether you are black, white, Hispanic or Asian, or whether you’re from Japan or South Dakota, you are an important piece of TCU. We’d like to hear from you.

Contributions are welcome — anything from letters to the editor to weekly columns and editorial cartoons. We invite you to share your thoughts with us.

The first column I ever signed my name to was called “Just a Thought,” and as I look back on that column, some 50 editorials or so ago, I find great irony in its title.

There is no such thing as “just a thought” when it comes to sharing your opinions, beliefs and perspectives with others.

With each thought you share, you let the readers a little deeper into who you are and what you stand for and believe is right.

It was Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, who summed up the importance of one’s thoughts best: “We are what we think,” he said. “All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.”

Now it’s your chance to make the world TCU. Write about your thoughts, beliefs and ideas. Share with one another your part of the world. Discuss it, debate it and, most importantly, learn from it. Let the opinion page of the Skiff enlighten you.

Opinion Editor James Zwilling is a sophomore news-editorial journalism major from Phoenix, Ariz.

Editorial policy: The content of the Opinion page does not necessarily represent the views of Texas Christian University. Unsigned editorials represent the view of the TCU Daily Skiff editorial board. Signed letters, columns and cartoons represent the opinion of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board.

Letters to the editor: The Skiff welcomes letters to the editor for publication. Letters must be typed, double-spaced, signed and limited to 250 words. To submit a letter, bring it to the Skiff, Moudy 291S; mail it to TCU Box 298050; e-mail it to skiffletters@tcu.edu or fax it to 257-7133. Letters must include the author’s classification, major and phone number. The Skiff reserves the right to edit or reject letters for style, taste and size restrictions.