Opinion pitches!

Hey everyone! Hope you're having a great day and staying warm out there. Here are some story pitches if you're interested in writing this week! First drafts should be about 500-550 words, and will be due to me by 5pm Friday evening (but if you want to send them earlier, that's amazing). 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.

Mental health funding for the U of A

The provincial government announced that they will be providing $1 million per year in mental health funding for the U of A. That may sound like a lot, but mental health advocates are concerned that it won't be sufficient to provide the services that students need. If you're interested in this issue, let me know and I'll give you some more info! You can also read some background on the funding here.

Premier Notley gives a "political" speech to sixth graders

Critics are calling out the fact that Notley criticized other parties for their lack of support for education while giving a presentation at Lois Hole elementary school in Edmonton. Are sixth graders too young to make critical choices about politics? Is it possible for politicians to not be political? Write about it! More info here.

Federal government to give public apology to LGBTQ+ Canadians

An advisory committee has been established to determine the exact content of the apology, but the idea is to apologize for oppression that LGBTQ+ Canadians have experienced as a result of actions taken by the federal government and federal officials. More info here. Is this an important step or an empty gesture that erases the discrimination LGBTQ+ individuals still face in this country?

March for Black Women YEG

On September 30, people are marching both in Washington and in Edmonton for the rights of black women and other women of colour. Their message is that "there is no racial justice without gender justice". If you're interested, attend the rally at the legislature and write about it! You can see the Facebook event here. 

U of A ranked 94th for employment globally

Moving up two spots from last year, UAlberta continues to crack the top 100 universities in the world in terms of employability of graduates. Is this something we should be celebrating? Should we be doing better? Is employability of graduates the metric by which we should be measuring the success of post-secondary institutions? Let me know in an opinion article!

Apple releases the iPhone X and it costs like a bijillion dollars hot damn

Apple released two new iPhones, the most notable of which is the iPhone X. With its facial recognition software (does Apple now have a database of all our faces?) and its dramatic pricetag (it costs $1300-$1500), there's lots to write about!

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. - Streeters: I'll match you up with a Photo volunteer and you'll hit the mean streets of campus, armed with a question and a camera, to survey some U of A students. Past questions have included: what should the university's logo be, what was your worst live music experience, and where do you poop on campus.- 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).