Volunteering for the Gateway

Here at the Gateway, we're always looking for new writers, photographers, and artists/illustrators to fill our paper with loads of sexy content. And getting on the “inside” requires far less effort and far fewer bribes than one would think (we do, however, accept bribes).

You don't need previous experience in journalism or even previous experience in writing, photography, or illustrating. Since the University of Alberta doesn't have a journalism program, we act as the "unofficial" journalism program at the University, so we're kind of on our own. Fortunately, our editors are caring, nurturing people who want to help train you to become the next great New York Times columnist, Washington Post investigative journalist, or Tiger Beat Magazine fashion critic (depending on your motivation).

In order to begin your ascent up the chain of student journalism, come on up to the Gateway offices. Take the SUB elevators up to the third floor and turn right when you come out of the elevators. You can't miss it (it's room 3-04 in case you do).

Now all you gotta do is track down the editor(s) of the section(s) you're interested in and meet them face to face. Don't worry, though: they're all nice people. Our office hours during the summer are 11 pm to 4 pm weekdays; however, since summer is generally slower, many section editors aren't around most of the days, so if you'd like to get involved, it's best to send an email to the editor(s) whose section(s) you're most interested in and set up a time to meet.

If you're too nervous to come sauntering in (we here at the Gateway like to saunter), you can come to a volunteer meeting to meet the staff and pick up an assignment. During the Fall and Winter terms, we have weekly volunteer meetings for each individual section. But since papers are smaller and less frequent in the summer, we lump all the sections together into one giant general volunteer meeting that's held two weeks before every issue. As of now, we're done our summer volunteer meetings for the summer issues, but if you're interested in getting involved, contact any of the editors; there's still plenty to do in preparation for the fall!

During the Fall/Winter terms, our meeting times (which are subject to change for the 2010/2011 publishing year) are typically:

News: Fridays at 3 p.m.
Opinion: Thursdays at 5 p.m.
Arts & Entertainment: Tuesdays at 5 p.m.
Sports: Thursdays at 4 p.m.
Photo: Fridays at 4 p.m.
Comics/Illustration: Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m.
Features: Contact Managing Editor Justin Bell for more details
Podcasts/Blogs: Contact Editor-in-Chief Jonn Kmech for more details

You can also download the Gateway Staff Manual, and learn most of what there is to know about being a Gateway volunteer.

And if you're still nervous about coming to a section meeting, why not use our signup form below? Our lovely section editors will add you to the fantastic Gateway assignment mailing lists, plus Petitions, our general volunteer list that gives you the lowdown on special volunteer events and parties. (Mostly parties.)