Television has become the most remarkable communicative force since humans learned to talk. In time, the Internet could rival the small screen for its ability to make a direct penetration into the hearts and minds of the public. Newspapers? Well, they’re pulling up the rear. This is too bad. Newspapers can offer the attention to detail and provoke the kind of thought that is often absent in both television and the Internet. Stories, those truly dealing with the issues that people hold dear, are more than 30-second segments and links to Web sites. In newspapers, people don’t smile on cue, read from TelePrompTers or airbrush away signs of aging or illness. What does this mean for the TCU Daily Skiff and you — the readers? It means that we will continue to seek the truth and provide a fair account of the events and issues that affect the members of TCU’s community, which is not just limited to the people who work, study and live on our sprawling campus. It’s not a coincidence some of the best work the Skiff produced last year was on the Wedgwood shooting and the tornado that marred downtown Fort Worth. We want to tell stories that show the significance and variety of experiences of the people we interact with daily. We want to support the exchange of distinctive ideas and views, even those that are unpopular and sometimes offensive. Most importantly, we want to maintain the high standard of journalism that has always been a staple of the Skiff for the past 98 years. Not to toot our own horn, but last spring the Skiff won the General Excellence Award at the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors’ contest. This means our newspaper was selected as the best college paper in Texas by journalism professionals from across the state. And we’re just getting started. We promise to continually take strides to make our paper more relevant, reader-friendly and an even better product for our almost 5,000 readers this fall. Although it may sound cliché, this is a semester of change at TCU. The results of the Commission on the Future of TCU are in, the largest freshman class in TCU’s history is crowding the campus, the football team is ranked among the top 25 teams in the country and Foster Hall has just been completed. On a larger scale, the presidential election and our own Student Government Association elections will dominate our thoughts and headlines in November. We hope to be there to document it all. But if you don’t choose to read the Skiff then read something else. Read until you can form an educated guess. Now, more than ever before, people must stay abreast of the issues that affect us. To just watch TV and surf the Web without thought is to be told what to think, and to be told what to think is to die. There was once a time when people were punished, even killed, for being able to read. That’s because once you can read, you can learn to think for yourself. Whatever the case, in this fall of change, don’t let your television do the thinking for you. Editor in Chief Joel Anderson is a senior news-editorial
journalism major from Missouri City.
Time for change If someone asks you how to get to Sadler Hall, don’t assume he or she is a freshman. They just might be one of the five deans that are beginning their first semester at TCU. The new deans are: Samuel M. Deitz, School of Education; Raymond A. Brown, admissions; Mary Volcansek, AddRan College of Humanities and Social Sciences; Robert F. Lusch, M.J. Neeley School of Business; and Scott A. Sullivan, College of Fine Arts. Coming from universities across the country — Georgia, Wisconsin, Florida, Oklahoma and Ohio — the new deans bring with them a fresh point of view and a variety of educational backgrounds. They all have experience as professors, and four have already served as deans at their former universities. To the new deans, we offer a hearty welcome to our campus, as well as our appreciation for all the hours they have already put into getting ready for their new positions. They will lead the university through the restructuring of the schools and academic procedures. With all of this academic shuffleboard, it’s logical that we are anxious to see how the fab five handle the adjustment. But with all the new faces around campus, we stand at an important fork in the road. We can continue doing things the way they’ve always been done, or we can take advantage of the deans’ ideas for improving the quality of our education. We are braced for change. From the Tucker Technology Center construction site to the football field, this is an important semester for TCU. Let’s hope our new deans are willing to lead us down the right path. And then maybe we’ll show them how to get to Sadler.
Students’ opinions, personal views wanted I want to make you mad. I’d like to make you cry. If I can, I’d like to make you laugh or at least smile a little. Most of all, I want to make you think. I want you to think about issues in the world that touch you and some that don’t. I want you to get suspicious of your government and of your roommate. I want you to marvel at the vastness of the sky and wonder about the formation of the universe. I want you to question your politicians and your chancellor. I want you to hold deep discussions about death over pizza. I want you to look beyond your life to see life itself — all its beauty and ugliness, all of its horror and magnificence. I want you to be provoked, moved, stirred, angered, fired up and uplifted. Essentially, I want you to read the opinion page and take from it all that you can to make thoughtful and well informed judgments about life. But what I want is just a small part of the opinion page. The most important part is what you want. This semester, the opinion page will be very much like last semester, except for one thing: you. I want to see you on these pages. I want your concerns, your fears, your idiosyncrasies and all you have to offer to grace these pages. I want you because I don’t know how you feel about abortion or gun control. I don’t know who you support in the election or if you support anyone at all. I want you because of your unique perspective, your different views, your experiences and your values. I want you because you can teach all of us. With the great changes on campus and important decisions facing the nation this school year — such as the national elections — there will be much to discuss. As we tackle these issues, we bring with us our racism, sexism and all those other “isms” that make us who we are. And that is as it should be. None of us are the same. While some of us pray to a god, others of us think we are a god. While some of us hate violence, others of us see value in it. While some of us worship nature, others of us feel we must exploit it. Whether you’re liberal or conservative, angry with the system or satisfied, your opinion is important. Your views may be wildly different from mine, but only through open discussion of our differences can we find some commonalties between us. And isn’t that the point? This page should be the culmination of all those different views. It should be a campus forum. If it is not, then we at the Skiff aren’t doing our job, nor are you doing yours. As a student, sharing your views and learning from others is your right. As a member of society, it is your duty. Moreover, it can be your weapon. If you’re upset with the administration, wield your pen and fight. If it is the government and its bogus policies that ails you, draw your weapon. While the pen is not really mightier than the sword, (as all of us know who have ever been in duel, courageously clutching our Bics as we stared down the shaft of a shiny rapier), it is pretty powerful. I’d like to see that power flourish through the opinion page this semester as we at the Skiff strive to bring you the best once again. Welcome back. Now choose your weapon. Skiff Opinion Editor Shavahn Dorris is a senior
English major from Joliet, Ill.
Editorial Demographics Every semester we like to give our readers some basic information about the demographics of our editorial board. The following is a breakdown so you can get to know us and get a better understanding of the opinions expressed in editorials. Gender: Eight female, three male Ethnicity: Six white, two black, two Hispanic, one Indian Home state/country: One each from Louisiana, Nebraska, Virginia, Illinois, Hungary and Zambia and five from Texas Classification: Five seniors, three juniors and three sophomores Major: Five news-editorial, two broadcast journalism, one international communications, one photo journalism, one English and one premajor Housing: Eight off campus, three on campus Political ideology: Four liberal, one moderate, one conservative, five have none Religious preference: Two Methodists, two Christians, two Jewish, two Roman Catholics, one Disciple of Christ, one Pentecostal, one Baptist Greek affiliation: nine independent, one Greek and one almost-Greek Ave. GPA: 3.34 Ave. hours scheduled for fall: 14.3 Editor experience: Four new editors, seven previous Skiff editors |
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