THE CAVALIER Daily is on the cusp of being a great newspaper. Given this, during winter break, I tried to pull my thoughts together on how The Cavalier Daily could improve itself through a few feasible tweaks. As a columnist rather than a reporter, I thought I might focus my suggestions on the columns that fill this newspaper's pages.
A well written column must be thoughtful, thought-provoking and relevant. This is an ideal to which columnists must aspire, even as they realize - as this columnist does - that they are quite likely to fall short of it. But, to increase the odds of success, I have a simple suggestion: Put columnists on a biweekly rather than weekly schedule, thus increasing the number of columnists. From my previous experience as a columnist for another university's student newspaper, I believe that adopting this proposal would significantly improve the range and quality of the columns appearing in The Cavalier Daily.
First, more columnists would mean more diversity with respect to the topics covered. Surely, The Cavalier Daily would be an even better and more interesting newspaper if it had writers dedicated to specific subjects, such as food criticism. A food columnist could be dedicated to reviewing local restaurants - I am still looking for the best pizza in Charlottesville - and University cafeterias; offering menu suggestions for students who have access to cooking facilities; and, of course, talking wine, for which Virginia is justly becoming well known among connoisseurs. And certainly, political humor would be just the right antidote to an increasingly jaded student body; hopefully, there is a budding Art Buchwald waiting in the wings somewhere on Grounds.
Second, more columnists would provide different perspectives. More student voices from different schools, both undergraduate and graduate, would expand the various perspectives reflected in the paper's columns, whether in opinion, life, sports or otherwise.
Third, the quality of the columns would be improved, as writers would be preparing articles every two weeks instead of every week. This would give columnists more time to think through a topic and write a well-crafted piece.
A weekly column puts greater pressure on both writers and editors, and, more often than one would wish, quality is sacrificed. In extremis, weak individuals succumb to the pressures and, unfortunately, may resort to plagiarism if pressed for ideas or content. Far too often, a quick, off-the-cuff column, dashed off in haste, is a vacuous work devoid of thought. Timeliness and thoughtfulness are not synonymous.
Fourth, the relevance of the columns would be enhanced by introducing a larger stable of columnists, whose combined backgrounds would bring to the paper a broader scope of competence for covering current events. This may sound counterintuitive, but, in fact, increasing the number of columnists increases the likelihood that a column could be topical, timely and relevant. And, for the individual columnist eager to address a particular current event, a delay of a week or two would not be a calamity. On the contrary, as noted, it might be an opportunity for a more considered response.
Fifth, more columns would not mean less news. The balance between news and columns would be maintained, as the space devoted to columns in any issue of the newspaper would be the same as it is currently.
Admittedly, a larger number of columnists would impose a greater challenge and burden on editors. At times, columnists, some of whom may have an exaggerated view of their own importance, have difficulty accepting advice from their editors. Moreover, more columnists would necessitate coping with different writing styles and personalities.
Certainly, the transition to a biweekly cycle would have to be phased in, a process made more difficult by the quick turnover of student organizations. Obviously, attracting more individuals with the requisite writing skills who are willing to dedicate the necessary time to a column would be a challenge. A promising group to target would be graduate students who have had prior experience working on student newspapers.
Although I did previously write a biweekly column for the Cornell Daily Sun, I have to admit that I enjoy writing a weekly column. It provides me a special platform to share my thoughts with a larger audience. The personal satisfaction - not to mention the gratification of my ego - is enormous. I am sure other columnists, who have worked very hard to secure their positions as weekly columnists, would be reluctant to give up their coveted space in The Cavalier Daily. Yet while it would be a sacrifice for the current crop of writers, I think adopting a biweekly schedule and increasing the number of columnists would be a boon to our readers.
Sanjiv Tata's column appears Mondays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at s.tata@cavalierdaily.com.
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