With the first day of class behind me, it has finally sunk in: Summer is here.
Ah, summer at UF. It's a surreal departure from the crowded bustle of fall or spring semesters, a moment where students fly through accelerated courses while life outside the classroom seems to come to a slow, sweaty trickle in the Gainesville heat.
I have plenty of typical summer memories from my time at UF: lazy afternoons by my complex pool, fun nights spent enjoying a less-crowded midtown and the occasional bored weekend when I lamented the fact that football games were still months away.
But this summer, the Alligator staff and I want to extend an opportunity for you to go beyond the typical. We want to print the best possible paper this summer. With that goal in mind, we're still looking to fill positions, including reporters, photographers and opinions columnists.
Sound interesting? Aspiring journalists are invited to check out these positions and others at our open house, which will take place a week from today at the Alligator's office on University Avenue, located a few blocks east of campus. From 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., you will be welcome to meet the current staff, ask questions, enjoy free pizza and admire the newsroom's charming wood-paneled walls - very retro.
You can even lecture me on what you don't like about the Alligator.
At this point, you may be a little skeptical. The Alligator may have burned you like the summer sun in the past. Maybe your article, column or letter wasn't printed, or maybe you didn't get the position you hoped for.
Don't be discouraged. I failed several times before landing my first entry-level job. We aren't likely to print everything you send us or give away our most prestigious jobs to unproven students. But we are likely to recognize hard-working, driven students, and open house will be a great opportunity to get your foot in the door.
And once you're through the door, there are many directions to travel.
For starters, your very own smiling face could be right where mine is. Do you want your views heard? Are you mad as hell and not going to take it anymore? Then maybe a position as an opinions columnist is right for you. The application is as simple as sending a 550-word sample column to letters@alligator.org.
Perhaps advertising sounds more appealing to you. The Alligator can be a great place to get hands-on experience, and representatives from our advertising department will be on-hand at open house.
Or maybe you're one of the brave souls determined to become the next great investigative reporter despite the low pay and ever-shrinking newsrooms around the country. You may not get the opportunity to keep tabs on Bernie and the gang or uncover dark government conspiracies right away, but you can prove you've got what it takes by working on some smaller pieces first. Even Alligator alumni like celebrated author Carl Hiaasen and recent Pulitzer Prize winners David Finkel and Debbie Cenziper had to start somewhere.
Hopefully, I'll see you next week, and we can begin making this summer's Alligator anything but typical.
Devin Culclasure is a journalism senior and the editor of the Alligator.
