While many Sun Devils were either hibernating, explaining to their parents that it's the New American University, not ASU, that's forced them to file for bankruptcy, or just counting the days until the new semester started, the State Press experienced a great loss.
All 14 of our opinion columnists died of varying causes, devotedly leaving behind a series of timely opinion columns as eye candy for their readers.
The diseased columnists, whose origins ranged from as far as New York to as near as Scottsdale, wrote on an eclectic amount of subjects, including politics, campus issues, technology, and pop culture. One even dared to wander into the field of science, providing State Press readers with a weekly column about the latest scientific developments and their effect on us all.
This is where I come into the picture. A Texas native who has only been at ASU since last semester, I am the only surviving member of the opinion pages. And as the editor, it is my duty to present State Press readers with the best (and best edited) opinion columns they could ask for. In honor of my fellow writers, I'd like to ask you to read each columnist's obituary, found in these same pages.
In these obituaries you will find facts and small pieces of each writer's life that defined who they were. Even their causes of death could tell you a little something about who they were.
Ultimately, they were students with families, friends and lovers just like you- except they held the power of the written word and, to make Spiderman's uncle proud, used it with great responsibility.
I am proud to have known this group of columnists, and hope you enjoy reading the many things they had to say as much as I did.
OK, so nobody's dead, and that's probably a good thing, although some of you might disagree by the end of the semester.
The truth is that they are alive, kicking, and ready to share some seriously opinionated rhetoric. Not only are they ready to share it, but look forward to reading what you think about their columns.
That's why their e-mail addresses will be printed under each column, so you can vent your anger or praise their style.
If you don't feel like e-mailing them personally, which will pry them away from much joy, I assure you, you can write to me at state.press@asu.edu. And if you're any good, I might even publish your letter.
But say you're through with writing. Perhaps your eyes are about to fall out from staring at the computer. Perhaps you can't take the risk of your letter being printed because you told your State Press-obsessed professor, who reads "Letters to Editor" religiously, that you have a bad case of carpel tunnel to get out of doing homework.
There is an easier way to use Amendment One.
You could call Talk Back, a phone line that, if witty or funny enough, produces quite an interesting section of the State Press. All you do is dial (480) 965-6881 and leave a message. Just don't confuse this with Madonna's, I mean, Esther's confessions hotline.
And if all else fails, you can step it up and write a column of your own. This semester there is available space for a guest columnist- a lucky person who gets to write 600-700 words about what they think (in a professional manner, of course).
One last thing- beware of a camera (with a person behind it) walking around campus, asking for your opinion on any given subject. They will take your picture and print your quote in Mall Rants, a special section in the State Press, so make sure you sound smart.
And so I leave you with a bunch of fake obituaries for a bunch of real people who are really ready to rock your reading world. Now repeat that five times, fast.
Astrid is a journalism junior. You can reach her at astrid.galvan@asu.edu.
