Garrick Hoffman

The doors have opened, the engines are fired up, and we’re officially in motion again, folks.

The Beacon of 2014 has returned for round two. We’re wildly excited, and you should be, as well.

In the 5+ years of The Beacon’s tenure, this is the earliest an issue has been published. Cheers to that!

First, we would like to congratulate both Sam Coombs and Jason Glynn – both regular Beacon writers and section editors – for their recent achievements. Sam worked an internship this past summer for Times Record, a newspaper based in Brunswick, and was subsequently offered a full-time job position for them. Sam respectfully declined in interest of further academic pursuits. As for Jason, he is now writing for Mainely Media and has an article being published for the South Portland Current. Well done, fellas!

Now, down to business.

At the risk of sounding like Uncle Sam, we here at The Beacon want you to write for your student newspaper. I stress that there is no exclusivity or hierarchy behind it. You are free to write about whatever you’d like. Your boundaries are virtually inexistent. The only thing that may negate your chances of having your work accepted is if you’re a visibly prominent IS sympathizer, which we doubt you are. But we figured we’d address that.

At the vanguard of The Beacon’s priority list is the students who write for it. The Beacon offers an opportunity for you to sharpen the blade of your writing craft; to develop an aptitude in not only your writing but in your explorations of the subjects about which you write; to present information to the student body which might not otherwise be exposed to it; to express yourself; and to develop a portfolio for yourself. And let’s not forget: to have bragging rights to your peers and family.

If you like to write, what do you like to write about? Do you like to write about music, movies, and/or art? Your written submissions, in this case, would be featured in the Arts & Features section. Do you like to write about current events, politics, or social issues? Your work, in this case, would be featured in the Op & Ed section, which at this juncture we vehemently encourage you to do.

We also strongly suggest international students to write for The Beacon. The significance of this lay in the fact that international students have stories from abroad that students born and living in America may be entirely unfamiliar with. What a great way of sharing your stories of different cultures, customs, activity, political and social structures and movements, and then some. These types of stories and information are paramount for not only domestic students here, but for the faculty, as well. International students can offer a glimpse of worlds that native Americans may not ever see, experience, or otherwise know about, and The Beacon can serve as the outlet for those stories to be presented to the student and faculty bodies.

So yes, indeed, The Beacon is looking for writers. But it doesn’t stop there. We’re also looking for illustrators, photographers, and for those who would be willing to help with The Beacon layout crew and in the ad sales department. If any of this pertains to you, don’t hesitate to get involved. The involvement is both fun and rewarding, and it may enable you to develop wonderful relationships with people you may not have with otherwise.

With that said, there’s some exciting things occurring in the world of The Beacon. Soon to come is the Beacon Speak series, in which those involved with the paper will be inviting individuals to come to the school to speak before the school’s students and faculty. So far, we have intentions of invited both Writers Without Borders and Doctors Without Borders to come to speak at the school, which is enormously exciting, and things seem to be shaping up well. But we also seek to invite other prominent figures in the Greater Portland, Maine, and New England areas. This could include business figures, innovators, entrepreneurs, artists, and more. It’s one of the many things to look forward to.

Furthermore, Kora O. Han, the “The Other World” section editor, will be featuring summer 2014 travel stories of several Beacon writers in issues to come. This includes her own travels back in her home of Singapore; Campus News section editor Erik Squire’s travels in Europe (including Spain and Germany); and this writer’s own sojourn spent on the Allagash River. Keep your ear to the ground for those anecdotes!

On that note, welcome back (or welcome aboard, depending on who you are). The Beacon implores you: get to the computer, start writing, and start submitting!