With the 2018-19 school year in full swing, I am excited to present our first issue of the year. Inside this edition and throughout the year, as a staff, we strive to many things such as our design, digital presence, diversity and dedication.
Design
As you can see, the Southern Accent looks a bit different than previous years. We have decided to move to a larger page size called broadsheet. One big thing I want to focus on this year is finding a middle ground between tradition and innovation.
When it comes to tradition, I believe that the paper should stand on the pillars of good journalism: being fair, being accurate and being balanced. And our new design will be a reflection of industry standard.
But I also want on emphasize innovation through new reporting techniques, vibrant photos and graphics, as well as a focus on our online publication as we move further into the 21st century.
Digital
As your voice on campus, we want to be able to interact with the student body in new and exciting ways.
This year, we are committed to upping our social media presence. From funny commentary, links to our articles, and information about things that are happening around campus, we hope to build stronger relationships with our readers and to become more relevant in the everyday lives of students. Follow us on Instagram (@sauaccent), Twitter (@Southern_Accent) and Facebook (@the.southern.accent).
You can also find our content for the school year online at southern.edu/accent, which is currently being reworked to streamline our process of getting out news to the people who need it. So expect to see changes to our website as the year goes on.
Diversity
Southern Adventist University is full of people from all walks of life. We just don’t all think the same. I believe that our paper should be a reflection of that.
In our news section, we strive to cover a wide variety of topics: the unknowns, the familiar, the weird. So much is happening on campus, and it is our job as representatives of the student body to inform.
In our religion and opinion sections, we want to encourage discussion and debate in a productive manner about the important topics that surround us daily. The Accent is not a liberal paper. The Accent is not a conservative paper. The Accent should merely be a reflection of those who make up our campus, and that means hearing from a diverse range of viewpoints.
This diversity should also be obvious in our lifestyle, sports and humor sections.
Dedication
More than 40 people work together in many different roles to bring the students this paper every week, for 22 weeks during the school year. That number includes writers, editors, designers and artists alike. And it is my goal, as editor-in-chief, to bring all of these ideas, all of these visions, together to create one cohesive publication. I can’t wait to see what this year has in store.
We welcome anyone who would like to present commentary on what we print from week to week. Please feel free to submit a 150-250 word Letter to the Editor. These can be submitted to accent@southern.edu. If you are interested in being a regular contributor to the paper, email me personally at tierrahayes@southern.edu.