Welcome back, K-Staters!
My name is Jason Tidd, and I am the editor-in-chief of The Collegian this semester. We at The Collegian are very excited for the new year and have plans for great reporting on topics relevant to everyone in the Kansas State family.
The Collegian is part of the Collegian Media Group, a nonprofit corporation completely separate from the university. This is important because it gives us more freedom to ask questions that matter to students, faculty and staff, even if the answers to those questions are sometimes considered controversial.
Please understand that we do not do our jobs with the goal of making university administration, the student government leaders or anyone else look bad. We report in order to shed light on issues that affect real people here on campus, in the Manhattan community and in the K-State family.
To be open and transparent with our readers, just like we want more transparency from those in power, I want you to know the CMG is partially funded by student fees. The almost $400,000 per year that the CMG receives from student fees is about half of our revenue. Our excellent advertising staff is responsible for most of the rest of the revenue. Sales of the Royal Purple, the yearbook, are also important.
Full-time students pay about $10 to CMG in their yearly privilege fees.
I am the highest-paid student at The Collegian and CMG with a $450 salary every two weeks. I work somewhere around 40 hours a week on top of taking classes and playing in the Cat Band at basketball games. Somewhere in between, I find time for Netflix and “Game of Thrones” while avoiding dirty dishes and cleaning my room.
There are two things The Collegian needs most: readers and writers. If you have made it this far, you are doing your part as a reader. I only ask that you share stories you like on social media and contact us with any questions, comments or concerns that you have.
Any student at K-State may write or shoot photos for The Collegian, regardless of major, and we do pay. I can also say from experience that writing for The Collegian is one of the best ways to learn more about the amazing people at our university.
If you are interested, come to the newsroom in Kedzie Hall 116 between 3:30 and 5 p.m. on Thursdays. That’s when our desk editors will be available to talk to students about writing for the Collegian. You may also stop in any time or email me at jtidd@kstatecollegian.com. We do not need an application, interview or writing samples. Just talk to an editor to get started.
Have a great semester, read The Collegian and go to class!
