Letter Guidelines

LETTER GUIDELINES

& How to Write a Good Letter!

When submitting a letter to the editor of The Utah Statesman -for publication- please note the following guidelines and suggestions. Those letters can be

sent via e-mail to statesman@cc.usu.edu,
FAXED to (435) 797-1760
Mailed to Editor/Statesman, PO Box 1249-USU, Logan, UT 843222-0165 (on campus mail use: 0165)
Hand delivered to Taggart Center 105
or you can use the submission box found at the bottom of this page.

We urge all letter writers to note the examples shown below as a "How-to" list for writing a letter that is likely to be published.

All letters must include student name, student number and local phone number, and/or email address (USU e-mail address). Phone number, e-mail address and student number are not published, but may be used to verify authenticity of letter writer.
Letters from faculty or staff should include department and phone number (Phone number not published.)
Letters should be limited to 350 words.
Writers must wait 21 days before submitting successive letters or second responses--no exceptions.
No anonymous letters will be published.
Letters should not indicate they are from "groups" or associations or clubs or represent massive numbers of people. Only the spokesman, president or first person whose name appears on the list of writers will be published. In other words, a letter from "USU College Democrats" will not published as such. The letter will be signed "Joe Blow, president, USU College Democrats."
Letters should deal with policies, not personalities; with issues, not individuals. Letters that resort to name-calling, derogatory inference and bad taste will not be published.
All letters may be shortened, edited or rejected for reasons of good taste, redundancy or volume of similar letters. Editor will strive to keep most letters intact and will attempt to contact letter writer when severe editing is needed.

How NOT to do it:

Dear Editor:

I'm responding to the article written by Joe Blow in last week's paper regarding parking.

This is about the lamest idea I have ever read. Joe, you must be one stupid guy. What do you do with your spare time? Watch MTV and do little green pills with your equally lame friends? I hate it when the paper allows dumb people to have their stuff printed in the paper.

Anyone who thinks parking should be free is either a Nazi or a druggie or a homosexual.

I think parking is a free privilege, just like changing diapers and answering to a man. Right.

The best way to handle parking would be to make everyone walk. The parking lot at the mall is always full maybe a shuttle bus could come from there, too.

If we all walked or rode a bike, we would be more healthy and would allow our campus to be more pedestrian, which is the ideal learning environment.

A concerned student.

Respond to issues, not to individuals. This is a public forum, not a personal "flaming" opportunity. By the way, was it a letter or was it an "article?"

Problems not personalities. To only lambaste another writer only shows the narrowness of your argument. Policies, not people.

There are things such as libel and bad taste that will not make it into the paper. This will not, for example.

Is this irony? Is this satire? Is this humor? Satire rarely translates in written copy. Don't try it. Half will take it one way, half will take the other.

Is this statement also supposed to be funny... or a real solution. No one knows because the snide satire already has thrown everyone off.

Finally, an argument about the issue, maybe even a suggested solution. Correct punctuation would have helped.

Sorry. No name, it won't be published. Wasted effort.

How to do it RIGHT:

Dear Editor:

I'm concerned about recent policies made regarding parking in areas that were once free but now have a fee assessed.

I grow weary of hearing the excuse "Because others are doing it" as a reason for USU to do it. Things is the weakest of arguments to justify a change of policy.

So what if Texas A&M is doing it? Who cares if the University of Utah has a problem with cars on campus? There are elements of campus life where USU can be better than our comparative universities. Texas A&M also has a life-threatening bonfire each year at Homecoming, but that does not mean that we need to do it. The University of Utah has lots of policies that are inferior to USU's. The U of U is also a lot more impersonal and their drop out rate is much higher than ours.

The lot at Romney Stadium should be kept free, if only to make students feel like the university is giving them a break somewhere, somehow each day. If only to make one aspect of a student's life "student friendly," this small thing would mean so much to so many. The argument that there is no free parking at XYZ University has lost its impact. Why not make USU unique?

John Whisteblower, Jr.

555-8888

SL@cc.....

Ah, an issue. It may have come from a news story, from an editorial, from another writer... who cares?

State early on where you are going with your opinion. This is YOUR OPINION, after all, not just someone else s poor opinion that you are pointing out.

Lambaste the issue at hand. Show your strength of argument, not your ability to be a name caller. Anyone can be snide and snippy. Building a persuasive case might take some thought.

Messages are clear not cloudy and confusing.

Name and numbers included. Only the name, though, will be printed.

Want to send a letter to the editor?

Click here.

or send via your own e-mail to

statesman@cc.usu.edu

LETTER GUIDELINES & How to Write a Good Letter! When submitting a letter to the editor of The Utah Statesman -for publication- please note the following guidelines and suggestions. Those letters can be sent via e-mail to statesman@cc.usu.edu, FAXED to (435) 797-1760 Mailed to Editor/Statesman, PO Box 1249-USU, Logan, UT 843222-0165 (on campus mail use: 0165) Hand delivered to Taggart Center 105 or you can use the submission box found at the bottom of this page. We urge all letter writers to note the examples shown below as a "How-to" list for writing a letter that is likely to be published. All letters must include student name, student number and local phone number, and/or email address (USU e-mail address). Phone number, e-mail address and student number are not published, but may be used to verify authenticity of letter writer. Letters from faculty or staff should include department and phone number (Phone number not published.) Letters should be limited to 350 words. Writers must wait 21 days before submitting successive letters or second responses--no exceptions. No anonymous letters will be published. Letters should not indicate they are from "groups" or associations or clubs or represent massive numbers of people. Only the spokesman, president or first person whose name appears on the list of writers will be published. In other words, a letter from "USU College Democrats" will not published as such. The letter will be signed "Joe Blow, president, USU College Democrats." Letters should deal with policies, not personalities; with issues, not individuals. Letters that resort to name-calling, derogatory inference and bad taste will not be published. All letters may be shortened, edited or rejected for reasons of good taste, redundancy or volume of similar letters. Editor will strive to keep most letters intact and will attempt to contact letter writer when severe editing is needed.
How NOT to do it:
	Dear Editor: I'm responding to the article written by Joe Blow in last week's paper regarding parking. This is about the lamest idea I have ever read. Joe, you must be one stupid guy. What do you do with your spare time? Watch MTV and do little green pills with your equally lame friends? I hate it when the paper allows dumb people to have their stuff printed in the paper. Anyone who thinks parking should be free is either a Nazi or a druggie or a homosexual. I think parking is a free privilege, just like changing diapers and answering to a man. Right. The best way to handle parking would be to make everyone walk. The parking lot at the mall is always full maybe a shuttle bus could come from there, too. If we all walked or rode a bike, we would be more healthy and would allow our campus to be more pedestrian, which is the ideal learning environment. A concerned student.	Respond to issues, not to individuals. This is a public forum, not a personal "flaming" opportunity. By the way, was it a letter or was it an "article?"
		Problems not personalities. To only lambaste another writer only shows the narrowness of your argument. Policies, not people.
		There are things such as libel and bad taste that will not make it into the paper. This will not, for example.
		Is this irony? Is this satire? Is this humor? Satire rarely translates in written copy. Don't try it. Half will take it one way, half will take the other. Is this statement also supposed to be funny... or a real solution. No one knows because the snide satire already has thrown everyone off.
		Finally, an argument about the issue, maybe even a suggested solution. Correct punctuation would have helped.
		Sorry. No name, it won't be published. Wasted effort.
How to do it RIGHT:
	Dear Editor: I'm concerned about recent policies made regarding parking in areas that were once free but now have a fee assessed. I grow weary of hearing the excuse "Because others are doing it" as a reason for USU to do it. Things is the weakest of arguments to justify a change of policy. So what if Texas A&M is doing it? Who cares if the University of Utah has a problem with cars on campus? There are elements of campus life where USU can be better than our comparative universities. Texas A&M also has a life-threatening bonfire each year at Homecoming, but that does not mean that we need to do it. The University of Utah has lots of policies that are inferior to USU's. The U of U is also a lot more impersonal and their drop out rate is much higher than ours. The lot at Romney Stadium should be kept free, if only to make students feel like the university is giving them a break somewhere, somehow each day. If only to make one aspect of a student's life "student friendly," this small thing would mean so much to so many. The argument that there is no free parking at XYZ University has lost its impact. Why not make USU unique? John Whisteblower, Jr. 555-8888 SL@cc.....	Ah, an issue. It may have come from a news story, from an editorial, from another writer... who cares?
		State early on where you are going with your opinion. This is YOUR OPINION, after all, not just someone else s poor opinion that you are pointing out.
		Lambaste the issue at hand. Show your strength of argument, not your ability to be a name caller. Anyone can be snide and snippy. Building a persuasive case might take some thought.
		Messages are clear not cloudy and confusing.
		Name and numbers included. Only the name, though, will be printed.
Want to send a letter to the editor? Click here. or send via your own e-mail to statesman@cc.usu.edu