By Alexis VailCOPY CHIEF
Section editors spend countless hours a week budgeting stories, communicating with writers, editing and, on layout night, designing their pages. One night a week, I edit the articles. At times the copy editing section has been overlooked or intentionally ignored, specifically when I first started.
I take my time reading through each article of the paper at least twice. When the night is nearing 1:00 a.m., I intentionally read slower, knowing I need to pay more attention because my tired eyes are unreliable. In other words, at the end of a long, arduous week of work, I delay the process.
I know it’s an annoyance, but I also know it’s necessary. Copy editing is quality control. I’ve heard students mock the Chronicle for a mistake in a headline or a typo on page five.
I hear the way people talk about the paper, even my friends, and it’s upsetting. Over the years I’ve watched The Chronicle pick itself up, brush off the dirt, and continue to work for the students, despite being unappreciated. There are too many students who would rather complain than do anything to contribute to a publication they should be proud to have at Hofstra.
I’ve come to realize a lesson. People would rather point out a flaw than attempt to fix it. They would rather mock their peers than help them learn from their mistakes.
However, there are a select few students who noticed the flaws and typos and decided to make a change. These are the dedicated staff members and writers for The Hofstra Chronicle.
If you think The Chronicle is the same paper it was three years ago, then you haven’t picked up many issues. The content, quality and design of the paper has had its moments, but I wholeheartedly believe that due to the dedicated students that have devoted their time and attention with true respect and love for the school and the paper, that the paper is better.
And it will continue to improve, especially under the guidance of future editor-in-chief Lauren del Valle and future managing editor Ehlayna Napolitano, two women who have more than proven their qualifications while editors for the news section.
Like the work of most students at the paper, copy editing is mostly a thankless job. The only time a copy editor’s work is pointed out is when it’s wrong. With that being said, I want to thank the copy editors who come in every week and spend their Monday nights ensuring the content of the publication is better than when they received their copy.
Why do I spend my time copy editing a paper that students don’t care about? Why do I bother editing when at times the staff doesn’t care? Because, as I mentioned, I believe it is quality control and that it is necessary.
Like copy editing, the paper itself is meant to serve as quality control, but for the Hofstra community. Its purpose is for students to serve their public, and that public is the thankless student who ridicules the paper without attempting to fix the problem, without considering the great things the Chronicle has accomplished.
If you take issue with the Chronicle, or if you think there is an improvement that needs to be made, take the initiative and contribute to writing or the staff. Hollow criticism is not going to help the Hofstra community, but decent journalism and respect for the students will.
The views and opinions expressed in the Op-Ed section are those of the authors of the articles. They are not an endorsement of the views of The Chronicle or its staff. The Chronicle does not discriminate based on the opinions of the authors.