Getting involved
If you are interested in joining Student Life, email us at [email protected].
All students are welcome at Student Life; no journalism background necessary. Student Life is accessible to all students at any level of commitment: some members of our senior staff spend hours in the office every week, and some staff members contribute once per semester. Any level of engagement is appreciated, and we accept new contributors year-round.
We cover anything and everything relevant to the WashU community in many formats. We have four written sections of the paper: News, Scene, Sports, and Forum. In addition to writers, we are always looking for social media contributors, photographers, graphic designers, cartoonists, videographers, podcasters, copy editors, crossword constructors, web managers, and more! To get involved in the making of the paper, join us for Wednesday production nights in our office (DUC 320) to learn more about StudLife, or just come hang out with our staff!
We would love to help you take ownership of your work and start your own projects. There are always many leadership opportunities for students with any level of experience and grade level — we've had many first-years and sophomores take on staff editor positions in the past. If there's a specific project or initiative you want to start, there will definitely be a place for it on Student Life, and you'll have several editors there to guide you through the process!
We also have a strong, growing alumni network, and former Student Life members often return to campus to lead workshops. Our alumni work at prestigious publications across the country, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, and ABC News.
All meetings occur weekly in the Student Life office (DUC 320).
- News: Thursday, 5 p.m.
- Sports: Tuesday, 6 p.m.
- Scene: Monday, 6 p.m.
- Forum: Monday, 7 p.m.
- Illustration: Friday, 4 p.m.
- Photo: Friday, 1 p.m.
- Design: Monday 5 p.m.
- Copy: Monday, 8 p.m.
- Multimedia: Friday, 1 p.m.
- Social Media: Tuesday, 5 p.m.
- Newsletter: Wednesday, 6 p.m.
- Games: Sunday, 5 p.m.
FAQ
1. How often does the paper come out?
We publish a print issue every Thursday. Additionally, we upload articles to our website daily and send out a newsletter five days per week.
2. How does production night work? How does the paper get made?
Production night takes place in our office (DUC 320) every Wednesday night, starting at 7 p.m. During this time, we take all of the articles and visuals that our staff has been working on all week and assemble them all together into a print newspaper. We spend the night editing articles and designing the layout before sending the completed PDF to the printer so that the paper is ready to be distributed by the next morning.
3. What does it mean to be an independent newspaper?
While Student Life receives a publisher fee from the University, all of our editorial decisions are made without input from WashU administration.
4. When does Student Life meet?
While our production nights are on Wednesdays, we hold meetings for students interested in contributing to different sections of the paper throughout the week. For a detailed schedule of meeting times, see above.
5. Where is the Student Life office?
The Student Life office is located on the third floor of the DUC in room 320! The stairwell to the third floor is located near the Fun Room help desk.