Greetings, and congratulations on choosing Laurier Brantford for your post-secondary career. This special edition of The Sputnik is all yours, guided to help introduce you to both the City of Brantford as well as the Laurier Brantford campus. Using our experience and knowledge of life in the Laurier Brantford community, we have set out to honestly answer some of the burning questions you may have as you anxiously wait to begin your university career.
In case you are wondering what exactly The Sputnik is, let me introduce us to you.
We are an editorially independent student newspaper representing the student population at Laurier Brantford. Yes, I did say editorially independent. That means that though we operate in cooperation with the university via contractual obligation, we have the freedom to print whatever we want, however we want, about whatever we want, without pressure or fear of repercussion from the university, or anyone else for that matter. However, that being said, we consider ourselves a serious contender to other local newspapers and also are a proud member of Canadian University Press, and therefore hold our content to nothing but the highest professional, legal, and ethical standards standards. We consider ourselves journalists, not “student journalists,” and therefore carry the responsibility that title bears.
We do not publish libelous or slanderous content, we research and fact-check our stories to ensure accuracy, and just like any other major publication you may read, our goal is to publish fair and balanced stories that allow you to draw your own conclusions. We try to tell you what to think about, not what to think.
In the broader sense of things, The Sputnik is just one publication in our parent organization, Wilfrid Laurier University Student Publications. WLUSP is a multi-faceted media organization, and we work closely with our sister paper in Waterloo, The Cord, our literary magazine, The Blueprint, and our ever-expanding radio station, Radio Laurier.
Why am I telling you all of this? Well, first of all, I want you to get to know us so that when September rolls around, you remember to pick up The Sputnik every second Wednesday to keep on top of what’s going on campus, in the city, and what matters to students on a broader level. Our stands can be found in most non-residential campus buildings, as well as various spots in the downtown core. Pick it up and read it in class, at the coffee shop, hell, even in the bathroom. We are the heartbeat of the university, and want you to be informed.
Secondly, I want you to work for us. More than that, I want you to want to work for us.
The benefits of working with The Sputnik, I can safely say from my three years of experience, are endless. Aside from working with one of the best organizations on campus, The Sputnik has provided me the opportunity to meet and hold relationships with a broad array of people I’d otherwise never had the chance to meet, within the university and the community. Upon graduation, you can list your time with The Sputnik on your co-curricular record, which is greatly beneficial both for applying for jobs or a graduate school. And lastly, if you do have aspirations to be a journalist, The Sputnik has in its short history moulded many writers who now work in the industry or have been published across the nation, and abroad. However, don’t think that only journalism majors can apply, as we have writers from across all programs. All we ask is that you are dedicated, engaged, and passionate.
So, if you have a hunger to write, to uncover the truth, or simply to become active in the university community, fill out an application come September. And if not, well, just let us deliver everything you ever needed and wanted to know.
I look forward to seeing you in September, or if you would like to get in touch with me before then, you can e-mail me at EIC@thesputnik.ca, or drop by the office in Grand River Hall next time you’re in town for a tour.
Enjoy the rest of your summer, and know the best times of your life are waiting just around the corner. Welcome to Laurier Brantford.
Kyle Brown, Editor-in-Chief, The Sputnik
