2008 Woodie Awards
Here's Looking at You
Sara Lefkovitz
Issue date: 5/13/08 Section: Editorials
Perhaps it is a bit anachronistic to describe The Observer's mission in its final issue, but at the close of the academic year, I feel the need, hopefully justifiably, of breaking from the traditional editorial framework to reflect more personally on the challenges of printing a women's newspaper.
The women of the Beren campus are uniquely situated. On the one hand, they clearly attend a single-sex college, host to its own grounds, both physical and academic. On the other, they are members of a larger institution, a university encompassing the intellectual pursuits and achievements of the more than 10 schools and interdisciplinary institutes within its domain.
A student newspaper is faced with the task of both informing and representing its constituents. Given the distinctive nature of Stern College for Women and its place within the larger university, it is often difficult to determine what type of focus would best serve the female undergraduate population. Each set of editors, in a sort of cost-benefit analysis, weighs the relative merits of utilizing macroscopic and microscopic perspectives.
This year's editors have sided in favor of the more localized scope, for reasons other than convenience. Our news reporting has generally concentrated on Beren campus developments and our feature stories have spotlighted the various issues, be it academic, social, or religious, with which the women here frequently contend. While some prospective journalists uptown may have bristled at the policy, we maintained a strict "women only" writer-ship.
All of these decisions were made as part of The Observer's efforts to promote the interests and concerns of the undergraduate women. Even further, we sought to promote the women themselves, in terms of their own self-image. The "inferiority complex" of attending SCW, however unreasonable, has plagued many a student. We felt that even if we were not successful in serving as an agent for significant change, we could at least deliver a product of quality and professionalism that the women could invest in and be proud of.
The women of the Beren campus are uniquely situated. On the one hand, they clearly attend a single-sex college, host to its own grounds, both physical and academic. On the other, they are members of a larger institution, a university encompassing the intellectual pursuits and achievements of the more than 10 schools and interdisciplinary institutes within its domain.
A student newspaper is faced with the task of both informing and representing its constituents. Given the distinctive nature of Stern College for Women and its place within the larger university, it is often difficult to determine what type of focus would best serve the female undergraduate population. Each set of editors, in a sort of cost-benefit analysis, weighs the relative merits of utilizing macroscopic and microscopic perspectives.
This year's editors have sided in favor of the more localized scope, for reasons other than convenience. Our news reporting has generally concentrated on Beren campus developments and our feature stories have spotlighted the various issues, be it academic, social, or religious, with which the women here frequently contend. While some prospective journalists uptown may have bristled at the policy, we maintained a strict "women only" writer-ship.
All of these decisions were made as part of The Observer's efforts to promote the interests and concerns of the undergraduate women. Even further, we sought to promote the women themselves, in terms of their own self-image. The "inferiority complex" of attending SCW, however unreasonable, has plagued many a student. We felt that even if we were not successful in serving as an agent for significant change, we could at least deliver a product of quality and professionalism that the women could invest in and be proud of.
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