To the Wellesley College Community:
We, the editors-in-chief and members of the editorial board of The Wellesley News, would like to update the student body about some changes we’ve implemented in the paper this semester, and a few of our future plans. As always, we pledge a commitment to quality and journalistic excellence. Within in the past few weeks, a senator brought to the Senate’s attention of purportedly inaccurate statements or claims made within this newspaper. While we were not made aware of student accusations prior to their delivery in public forum, we hope to invite constructive dialogue. The Newspaper plays a critical role in public relations, awareness, and historical publication. We remain committed to our volunteered service to this campus.
Our multicultural column, which was initiated in the 2016 Spring semester, has continued to give the Multicultural Affairs Coordinator the opportunity to voice the concerns of students of color. The current coordinator, Sydney Stewart ’18, has continued to utilize this corner to speak on issues that affect multiculturalism on campus and spotlight relevant events and organizations. We also invite the student body to suggest their own columns — online or print — to the Staff.
Second, we will continue and improve upon our commitment to reporting on the issues within our community, including the activities of college government and the administration. The Wellesley News is a completely student-run publication; our reporters are full-time students with various commitments. However, we stay fully committed to improving the quality of our newspaper and dedicating the necessary time to improving the quality of our reporting. Recently, we have taken measures to improve our relationship with the administration and student government. We maintain consistent communication with Dean Bate and other members of administration. We have also streamlined the interview process by creating a protocol for all of our writers to follow. This document is sent to all of the interviewees in order to maximize transparency and accuracy.
We would like to reiterate this statement released in our Spring letter:
“Wellesley News is a student run organization where the issues covered are decided upon and reported on by students. The Wellesley News has no faculty advisor to help prevent a conflict of interest between the students and the administration. While we don’t allow anonymous articles, the Student Press Law Center ensures that even controversial topics may be covered without ramifications to the reporter. Our newspaper is primarily for members of our Wellesley College community and, more importantly, Wellesley College students. We hope to serve you to the best of our abilities by providing interesting, thorough and accurate stories for our college. However, our commitment to quality is only made possible by open dialogue with the members of the community. Letters to Editors can be sent the thewellesleynews@gmail.com and will be published if they are deemed informative and relevant. Comments on accuracy and quality of writing are also welcomed and can be sent to our email address as well.”
We invite those with recommendations, such as the institution of a Faculty Advisor, to discuss their ideas with us, instead of in public forums without our presence and knowledge.
The Staff of the News aims to serve the Wellesley community by providing accurate and relevant articles that represent the diversity of thought and identity in our campus. We have covered a range of events during this exciting fall season, from President Johnson’s inauguration to the presidential election. During this busy time, our reporters and staff have individually and voluntarily dedicated more than 10 hours on average per week. We, once again, emphasize our commitment to delivering quality reporting to our student body. We appreciate your support and readership.
Sharvari Johari ’17, Michelle Lee ’17
Editors-In-Chief
