I don’t think it would be a stretch to categorize the lack of news boxes [in front of the Belo building] as completely unacceptable. The Belo Center is, after all, the new home of one of the best journalism programs in the country and I think decision-makers in the College of Communication and the dean’s office need to strongly consider the type of message being sent to aspiring journalists (print journalists, in particular) who view the school as their guide to the future of journalism.

I do understand the desire for a sleek, aesthetically pleasing building and plaza that is beautiful, functional, and worthy of the college’s prestigious programs (after all, who can resist the draw of color-coordinated trash cans?) — but at some point, common sense must prevail.

I’m fully aware that there are news boxes across the street and around nearby corners, but I doubt that chemistry students have to leave the classroom and cross the street to get beakers for class experiments, or that students in the music building must trek elsewhere for a music stand or practice room. The journalism students in the College of Communication deserve the same easy access to the tools of their trade, as do the faculty, staff, and students working and learning in the new Belo Center.

I also completely understand the college’s desire to implement a policy forbidding fliers and other materials from being posted around the plaza. I’ve been on the unfortunate end of this policy before when trying to display banners for the Magazine Club. But while I respect the need for structured rules, I think there is a huge difference between peppering Belo with fliers seeking roommates and placing a newsstand in front of the building.

Torrie Hardcastle 
Editor-In-Chief, Orange Magazine 
Senior, journalism and radio-television-film