Our Least Controversial Opinion to Date

We are Syla Steinman ’29, Caroline Flinn ’28, Lucas Silva ’28, Odessa Ikels ’28, and Elaine Pan ’27, your friendly neighborhood opinion editors. We really like being editors. We also, perhaps unsurprisingly, really like giving our opinions. It is quite literally our job, which is a dangerous amount of encouragement for people like us. So here is one opinion on which, miraculously, all five of us agree: you should become an editor, too. Applications are due Nov. 6 at 11:59 p.m. You may access the application via the email newsletter. Please email us if you have any trouble applying. Or if you need encouragement. Or, if you need five people to tell you that you should apply, allow us to convince you more. 

Lucas Silva ’28: A beauty in writing for Opinion is the creativity in the role you take. Editing for this section means helping each writer find their voice. Every piece that reaches us admits to a bias, a background, a thesis. Yet that partiality is what gives us the priority to speak: It is their opinion, and for us, that is all that matters. You work, grounded in evidence, to persuade and help the campus decide for itself what it thinks. You’ll feel plenty of that emotion firsthand, editing late into the night in Barker’s room with the other editors and learning how a newspaper runs. Do you know what goes behind a newspaper? People. And with so many of us in one space, we bump into each other constantly, in our opinions (fittingly) and, now and then, quite literally. Every bump is a sweet reminder that we work as a team. We’re friends. We share laughs and snacks. Sweeter still is the “Snack-et” you’ll help us out with. It is, conclusively, my opinion that you should become an editor. You will not regret it. And if you do, write about it.

Syla Steinman ’29: I joined the Ops team my second semester of freshman year, when I was still trying to find my footing at Amherst. I have gotten to work with and alongside a wonderful group of smart, introspective, and thoughtful people who care deeply about the college and world. Throughout your time here you will grow as a communicator and a collaborator, and overall develop a richer appreciation for the processes of writing and editing. And if none of that interests you, newspaper work looks great on a resume, we’re really funny, and you get candy if you show up to Production Night. 

Caroline Flinn ’28: I imprinted on the newspaper like a baby duck. I don’t know how I got here, no joke. But being an opinion editor has truly been the most stressful and most amazing experience of my college career. I have learned to work well under pressure, I have learned how to work with people that don’t share the same opinions as me, and I have learned that I am somehow capable of staring at the same paragraph for 45 minutes without losing my mind. Mostly. Being an opinion editor means getting to help people figure out what they actually want to say and then helping them say it as loudly, clearly, and interestingly as possible. You get to read pieces before anyone else does, argue about ideas you care about, meet people you probably never would have met otherwise, and have a real hand in shaping conversations on campus. You also get really close with the people you work with. The newsroom has become one of the places where I feel most at home at Amherst. I genuinely cannot imagine college without the paper anymore. So, unfortunately, my advice is: become an opinion editor. You might imprint too. 

Odessa Ikels ’28: When I applied to be an opinion editor, I knew that I enjoyed both substantive and line editing, and that I liked reading argumentative pieces. What I did not know is how much my own writing would be shaped by the editorial process. Working with writers to hone arguments and syntax has pushed me to try to write more clearly. I also find myself wanting to write articles more often, to contribute to campus discourse or examine issues external to Amherst. Newfound relationships with peers, professors, and alumni have also made the position extremely rewarding. Getting letters to the editor from engaged alumni or encouraging notes from professors has crystallized my belief that this section is a key platform for engagement and productive conversation. My favorite part, however, is working both within our section and alongside other editors during production nights. I’ve even grown to love InDesign!

Elaine Pan ’27: I joined the opinion section because I was interested in seeing what discourse was going around the college. Being an editor is a unique opportunity to work with people with different perspectives. You get to read so many different opinions, but also critically engage with each piece, whether it’s helping the writers organize their essay better or offering counterarguments to make their points stronger. It’s also satisfying seeing these pieces getting published and inspiring even more campus dialogue. As other editors have noted, editing can improve your own writing skills, whether it’s writing concisely or structuring an argument more clearly. But most importantly, beyond the writing, I’ve learned to work better under pressure. Unexpected things happen, like getting a time-sensitive letter to the editor during production night, and we have to think about how to change the layout and how we reallocate our time to edit. Although it can get hectic at times, my two years here have been really rewarding and I’ve been able to meet so many awesome fellow editors.

Still have questions? Feel free to reach out to any of us or email astudent@amherst.edu. We’re happy to talk more about what being an editor actually looks like. And, of course, apply!