I have a proposition, Dear Reader. I think YOU should write for The Davidsonian. Before I get into the weeds, I suppose I should address the aforementioned bias: I am a News Editor, so of course I want more people to sign up and help us out. The week-to-week coverage of the goings-on at Davidson College would not be possible without the dedicated and intelligent staff of writers and editors, who work their [redacted]’s off every week for the sake of this glorious and devastating thing we call “the news.” But, that staff always has room for growth: diversity is a delicious recipe for a great newsroom. 

Now, to woo you.  Ready for the clichés? The Davidsonian is an opportunity unlike any other: it’s a chance to put your fingers in different pies; to dip your toes into the water and see if it’s warm; to learn something new about yourself, and develop skills for the future. Ready for the kicker? It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance you don’t want to pass up on. 

There, I said it. I know, I know. I felt gross writing it. Still, trying to put it any other way would be an exercise in futility: it really is all those things. 

If you’re a writer, or someone who has to write on a fairly-regular basis (cough, cough: literally everyone here!) it’s a chance to work on sharpening your prose. Ernest Hemingway was a journalist, after all, and revolutionized English literature with his economic writing style. I am not promising that you will become the next Hemingway if you start writing for us. Maybe, but I doubt it. Through rounds and rounds of editing and talking shop with fellow writers and editors, you will learn habits to help you write with every Writing 101 professor’s two favorite words: clarity and concision. 

I work as a Writing Center instructor, and the writing and revision techniques we learned align almost one-for-one with the fundamentals of good journalistic writing. The best compliment I ever received on an essay was that my work was “admirable for its clear position.” That’s half the battle for a good grade!. As if the deal couldn’t get any better, once we help you write the best possible story, we’ll publish it to the masses for free. You can flaunt your new writing skills. 

It doesn’t have to be strictly news writing, either. Our Features and In Living Davidson sections allow you to explore every aspect of life at Davidson. The Sports section gives you a chance to talk to your favorite local celebrity coaches and players; if you’re brave like I was, you can call a head coach’s zone defense “lackluster.” He laughed, fortunately. Want to get to know local government figures, or analyze how US policy affects students on campus? I think Politics might be for you. Want to write a cheesy open letter to your peers to encourage them to help with a publication you would do anything for? Well, baby steps, first of all. Join the staff, then, you can go to the Perspectives section. 

In all seriousness, stepping away from the formulaic ‘pretty please’ thing I’ve got going on, I think there’s one more bias I neglected to acknowledge: The Davidsonian gave my Davidson life purpose. Because of my work with this paper, I feel entrenched in both the town and college’s communities. I’ve been able to have incredible conversations about basketball, politics, life, etc. Anything you can imagine. 

I’ve spoken with Doug Hicks ‘90 about winning amateur ping-pong championships and working as an on-call minister at a hospital; I watched Coach Bob McKillop shed a faint tear as we relived his 2008 Elite Eight run together; I listened to an international student describe how she fought for the better part of a year to come to school in the US, knowing she wouldn’t see her family again for four years. Each conversation, in its own way, is an intimate engagement with the human condition. 

After all those conversations, all the stories published, the drafts torn apart during revision, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit the best feeling: saving a pile of freshly-printed newspapers in your desk drawer to bring home, because your family and friends told you they were excited to read what you had written. 

Colin Decker is a junior from Maggie Valley, North Carolina studying English. He can be reached for comment at [email protected].