Opinion pitches!

Hey everyone! Here are the pitches for this week. I also want to remind everyone that if you ever read something you disagree with in the opinion section, you're more than welcome to write a response to it. I want to make sure The Gateway remains a platform for dissent and differing opinions, so it's super cool when two opinion articles disagree with each other. Just reply to this email if you want to pick up any of these pitches, or if you want any more information about these stories. And as always, if you have an idea for an article, feel free to send it my way. Articles should be 500-550 words and are due Friday at 5pm. 

Gateway hiring is happening!

The Opinion Editor job posting is now live! If you're interested in applying for the position, make sure to let me know! You'll be much more prepared for your interview if we get a chance to chat with me about the position and about how you want the section to look like. It would also be a lovely opportunity to meet you if we've only ever interacted over email! 

Submit to the Gateway photo show!

Do you have a photograph/illustration/piece of visual art that you want to be displayed at the Gateway photo show? Submit it to the Gateway photo show! The event will be held at Dewey's on April 6th at 7pm. Submissions are open to any and all Gateway volunteers! You can let me know if you're interested, or you can contact Rosty (the photo editor) at [email protected], and he will send you the submission form. If you don't have anything to submit, come out on April 6th anyway to hang out and see some cool art stuff!

Board of Governors raise international tuition and rent, implement new meal plan 

Last Friday's Board of Governors meeting was very eventful, with the board voting to cut the overall budget by four per cent, to implement the wildly unpopular all-you-can-eat meal plan, to raise rent in residence by four per cent, and to increase international student tuition by 3.14 per cent. What do you think of these decisions? Does the university have a responsibility to balance the budget, even if that means raising costs for students? What should the priorities of this institution be?

Minister for Advanced Education calls out U of A President for his large salary 

Marlin Schmidt (the NDP Advanced Education Minister) is quoted in this Edmonton Journal article saying "It’s concerning to me to see the president lining his own pockets while he’s cutting money being spent on classrooms and students."Do you think Schmidt is right? What do you think the implications of his comments are? Should government ministers be criticizing university executives like this? 

Urban park proposed for High Level Bridge

Some Edmonton architects envision the High Level Bridge being developed into an urban park and streetcar corridor, which would connect Whyte Ave and MacEwan. This is a pretty ambitious project, but could really transform the core of Edmonton. You can read more about the idea here. 

Cannabis legalization on campus

Cannabis has been a hot-button issue at the U of A over the past few weeks, coming up a lot in the SU elections, being raised at a town hall last week, and being discussed at both Student Council and GFC. What do you think cannabis policy on campus should look like? Should it mirror the current smoking policy? Should it be banned on campus entirely? Should there be designated areas in which people can smoke up? What message does the administration send with any of these policies?

Should taxpayers subsidize media companies?

With the increasing uncertainty about the future of journalism, and particularly print media, there has been some discussion about whether or not media companies should receive subsidization from taxpayers. Would this help save journalism? How might this impact content? Do you support this proposal?

Is Earth Hour a good thing?

March 24th at 8:30pm is Earth Hour, where World Wildlife Fund (WWF) encourages people to turn off their lights to "draw attention to wildlife loss in Canada and around the world." It's confusing because Earth Hour is simultaneously a WWF-specific campaign, but also part of a broader campaign to get people to turn their lights off in an effort to prevent climate change. So there are kind of two potential themes to write about here: is this a smart campaign for WWF? Does this do a good job of bringing attention to WWF and wildlife loss? Would you encourage people to participate? Secondly: is getting people to do little things for the environment (take shorter showers, turn off the lights, drive less, etc.) an effective strategy, or does it take attention away from larger systemic issues that harm the environment?

Facebook data scandal 

A company called Cambridge Analytica is under fire this week for their involvement in the Trump campaign, and using Facebook user data to specifically target ads. Mark Zuckerberg is being asked to comment on the issue in the British Parliament, and there has been an uproar about what this means for data and privacy. You can read more about the whole thing here. What do you think? Should we have seen this coming? Is this terrifying news? What should we/Facebook/governments be doing about this?

Domino's Pizza gets involved in the Trans Mountain Pipeline protests

After someone tweeted a photo implying that the company donated pizza to protesters, Domino's responded saying "Although we fully support everyone’s right to their opinion and free speech, we do not endorse this protest movement as we recognize the importance of the Canadian oil patch industry and the economic impact the the industry has on all Canadian citizens." Should corporations take a stand on issues like that? What does this say about the Trans Mountain pipeline project? What do you think of the project yourself?

The Gateway Presents! 

As you may already know, every second Friday from 5:30-6:30pm, CJSR airs a segment of our radio show, The Gateway Presents. Each segment includes an Opinion piece where two people debate on a hot-button issue. Along with pitching Opinion stories for the website or the magazine, please also feel free to pitch me content for The Gateway Presents! Whether you know someone who'd be interested in debating on the show, you have a topic you'd like to see presented, or you'd like to produce a segment all by yourself, let me know and we'll make it happen. 

Shorter segments

Don't have time to write a whole 500-word article this week but still want to write something? Write one of these! They're about 200-300 words and a really good time. - Burlap Sack: Rant about something that bothers you! - Marble Pedestal: Rant about something you love! - Adulting 101: Either tell us how to do something adult (how to use an iron, how actually make food, etc.) or tell us about a time you failed to do something adult (like that time you put the red sock in with the whites and now everything is pink).