CM Life, Central Review give students outlet

Greg Burghardt

Students who want to make their voices heard on campus have plenty of resources
through Student Publications.

Central Michigan Life offers students the opportunity to write and photograph
news. Students also can display their creative talents through The Central
Review, a literary journal published each semester.

“Publications serve two purposes — they are a main communication
tool for students and staff, and it is a hands-on learning experience for student
journalists who hope to work in the media some day,” said Student Publications
Director Neil Hopp. “One-hundred twenty-five to 150 students are involved
every year in student publications.”

Central Michigan Life is a nationally recognized, mostly self-funded newspaper
that informs the Central Michigan community of pertinent news, said Chris Gautz,
CM Life editor for the fall 2003 semester.

Last October, CM Life received the Pacemaker Award, which only the top-rated
17 college newspapers in the country received. The Associated Collegiate Press
selected CM Life out of almost 200 entries, Hopp said.

“The purpose of CM Life is to provide CMU students and members of the
Mount Pleasant community with news in a timely fashion. It benefits the students
because it lets them know what is going on and what other students are doing,”
said Gautz, Adrian senior. “We are basically the only voice for the students.”

Gautz said students and community members should look to CM Life first for
news.

“Our goal is to make sure there is nothing that happens on campus or
in the community that we are not aware of,” he said. “(The CMU community)
should turn to CM Life for important news.”

CM Life has an open-door policy for students who wish to write. Interested
students should visit the Student Publications Office at Anspach Hall Room
8 to fill out an application.

Gautz said he is excited to implement some changes to the newspaper, while
keeping the high standards CM Life has established.

“Next year, one of the changes that is going to occur is the beginning
of the investigative reporting teams, and I am looking forward to continuing
the tradition of excellence,” he said.

The Central Review accepts fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction from CMU
undergraduate and graduate students.

It is a spin-off of the earlier set of published works, Framework.

Framework magazine started five years ago, then was transformed in The Central
Review, which has existed for two years.

“The purpose of The Central Review is to get creative entertainment out
to the students,” said Rob Gable, Central Review editor.

Gable said he is responsible for the overseeing and organizing CMU’s
magazine.

“I feel my job is important because it creates an opportunity for other
students on campus. Without me, they may not have any outlet for their creative
work,” Gable said.

For more information on writing submissions for The Central Review or to get
entry forms, visit the Student Publications Office in Anspach Hall room 8.