2 editors November 30, 2011 - Over the Edge Volume 18, Issue 3 October 19 2011 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Shelby Petersen MANAGING EDITOR Kali FLick PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Travis Holmes COPY EDITOR Jessica N. Shapiro NEWS EDITOR Hanna Petersen ARTS EDITOR Darcie Smith FEATURES EDITOR Laura Bevacqua UNBC LIFESTYLES EDITOR Jarrod Weisner SPORTS EDITOR Vacant PHOTO EDITOR John Hall CONTRIBUTORS Paul Strickland Thomas Cheney Leila Maheiddinibonab Adrian Clarke The Editor’s Edict, Is tt February already? Shelby Petersen, Editor in Chief Can you believe that it is February already? I always find that the second semester seems to go by so quickly and before you know it your calendar has nothing but term papers and final exams written down in it! February is sure to go by quickly as well. Did you know that this year is a leap year? That’s right — all you lucky people who are born on February 29th finally get to have a birthday party! Interestingly enough, there are three issues coming out this month (that’s pretty good considering there are only 29 days)! So, if you are reading this and thinking “Oh, I really wish I had of submitted something to Over the Edge!” you still have two more opportun- ities this month. So take advantage and send us your stuff! Speaking of contributing to Over the Edge, did you know that we have an open position? Well, we do! And we would love to hire YOU. That’s right, YOU! If you would fancy a job in the journalism world and really love to write then you should definitely apply to join our outstanding team. We are currently looking to fill our Sports Editor position. A successful candidate will not only have strong written and oral communication skills, they should also have a strong enthusiasm for everything that is sports and sports related. This person should also be available and willing to at- tend and cover the majority of UNBC sporting events, including T-Wolves basketball games. If this position sounds like it was tailor made for you, then send us your resume, a cover letter, and most importantly, a sample of your writing. Eager applicants will do well to submit an article as their sample. This article can be on pro-sports or local sports — it’s up to you! Oh, and did you know that OTE Editors get an honourium each month? Yep, that is $200 big ones just for you! So — what are you waiting for? We’ve got some great stuff lined up for you this issue, so I hope that you all take the time to sit down and really savour every word. At the very least, you can flip through these pages in between midterm study sessions to get that little bit of respite you all deserve. The deadline for the next issue is Monday, February 6 Over the edge is the official independent publishing media of students at the University of Northern British Columbia. As such, it is our mandate to report on issues of interest to students in the Northern Region. We encourage all students, both on the main and regional campuses to submit to Over the Edge. Over the Edge is part of the Canadian University Press network of papers, otherwise known as CUP. Cup is an organization that is entirely owned by member papers, and provides such services as a news wire and advertisements to Over the Edge. Over the Edge is published every second week during the fall and winter semesters Office Location: 16-350 MAILING ADDRESS 3333 University Way Prince George, BCV2N 4Z9 PHONE (250) 960-5633 FAX (250) 960-5407 EMAIL over-the-edge@unbc.ca OVER THE EDGE FACES IMPENDING STAFFING High turnover will result in vacant positions at your campus paper! CRISIS HANNA PETERSEN NEWS EDITOR ost of the students at UNBC are only here for a short time. Completing an undergraduate degree, at minimum, takes only four years, which means that the editors working at your cam- pus paper continually come and go. However, Over the Edge has come to realize that this year it looks like there will be a lot more staff going than coming. What does this mean for your campus paper? Well, Over the Edge may look a lot different next year. However, in all of the uncertainty in- volved in the life of a campus publi- cation there is a bright spot of contin- ual optimism. That bright spot is the students of UNBC who comprise the future of student journalism on this campus. Over the Edge is a reflec- tion of the efforts of students learning the ins and outs of journalism by trial and error at UNBC. And the best-kept secret of student journalism is all the skills and opportunities it gives inter- ested undergraduates. Readers may only see the headlines and the subsequent stories that editors and contributors have amalgam- ated into a paper, but those editors and contributors all the while have been learning and earning “transfer- able skills” that can really only be amassed through the multifaceted layers of student journalism. What are transferable skills you ask? The very skills that can set someone apart on a resume from all of the other gradu- ates with the same BA. An editor or volunteer at a student run newspaper, like Over the Edge, can easily gain hands-on experience with programs like InDesign or Adobe Illustrator; gain skills in photography and lay- out; learn how to read press releases and gain valuable research skills; and make connections with other student journalists from around the country. Over the Edge does not stand alone, undoubtedly change as UNBC grows, but is one of many student run papers all part of an organization called the Canadian University Press, which shares information and connections between most university newspapers in Canada. The experience of work- ing at or volunteering for a student newspaper is one that can be invalu- able in terms of setting someone up for a potential career in popular fields like communications, media, busi- ness, public relations or anything that involves interpersonal skills and/or technology. Many members of our staff will be leaving the paper this year, so Over the Edge is looking to the students of UNBC to join our ranks and help us navigate the waters of young journal- ism and continue to call out our voice in the choir of Canadian university newspapers. The face of our paper and the faces behind our paper will Sorry For The Mishap! In the last issue of Over the Edge, there was an article pertaining to the NUGGS survey that took place and the details regarding the survey. The article was published in UNBC Lifestyle under my name accidentally. I would like to give full credit to the individual who did submit this to us, however they did not provide their name, which led to this accidental mistype. Please send your information to over-the-edge@unbc.ca for another comment giving you full credit for your work. Stay sassy, Jarrod W, UNBC Lifestyle Editor but the continual improvement in quality and content of the paper is in the hands of the student body. With- out student interest the future for UNBC’s journalistic endeavor is a bleak one. A bleak future means the end of UNBC students learning jour- nalism, and the end of a newspaper publication that UNBC students from all years can enjoy. It means the end of UNBC students having the oppor- tunity to gain the same transferable skills that are open to students at other universities, and it will mean that the voice of a small bourgeoning univer- sity in the north will be silenced. Thus we ask for your contributions, com- ments, and applications all in an ef- fort to continually improve your cam- pus run paper. Quick Note