You paid, you decide

You might have noticed some changes all of a sudden. The new cover layout is just the start of it. The Oakland Post, like the rest of campus, is under construction.

When you’re spending money, you’re usually in control of what you spend it on. You’re also able to personalize each purchase to ensure that it’s just what you’re asking for.

We understand that not everyone wears the same exact clothes or uses the same exact products. That’s why we need your feedback on what you want your student newspaper to cover.

At the end of last year, the Board of Trustees voted to pass a proposal that would increase the student activity fee to $27.50, giving student organizations an extra $2.50 for their budgets each semester.

That means $27.50 of your tuition is being used for your student activities, and since we get 7.2 percent of that money, you’re basically paying us $1.98 a semester to cover your campus news.

This money — which is divided up among the Student Activities Funding Board, The Student Programming Board, Student Video Productions, WXOU, The Student Life Lecture Board, The special projects fund, club sports and us — is used to bring quality media to students.

However, we’re not getting much feedback from our targeted audience. Or any, for that matter.

Don’t get us wrong, we work hard to ensure that everything we do is to the best of our capabilities, but it may not be what you’d like to see.

We’re asking for tips because we want to publish what you want, not what we think you want.

Don’t be afraid to contact us — now’s your chance. We want to hear what you have to say.

Tell us you like us, or hate us for that matter. Elaborate on what you want to see more of and what you think we cover too much.

You like the crossword puzzle? We’ll keep it. You want more police files? We’ll get them. You want more sports? We’ve got it. Is there something we’re missing? Let us know.

Have you seen something suspicious on campus you want investigated? Let us know, we’ll check it out for you.

We’re your local weekly paper. We’re here to cover your campus. We’re here to cover students. We are here to cover you.

Instead of being an afterthought, we want to be your GPS for navigating your school. And to do that, we need to know where you want to go. Tell us.

You might not have a direct say in whether OUSC decides to hand out free scantrons or not, or which musical act SVP decides to choose. And maybe you’re not a big fan of some of the programming at WXOU or SVP.

While we can’t control anything that goes on at those places, we can control what we do here.

Come to our weekly meetings on Mondays and Thursdays at noon and participate in our discussions. Comment on our stories on the website. Give us a call. Talk to us in the hallways. Whatever path you take, just give us some input so we do our best to serve you better.

Email [email protected] if you’re interested in participating in a focus group. Lunch is on us.