It may not be widely known, but every Thursday night, without fail, the Argus staff throws down. We may come off as intellectual types, but come production night this office is the most raucous party house on campus. And while I am always overjoyed to be invited to these late-night extravaganzas, I was doubly excited this week because I knew I would have the privilege of laying out the Wespeaks section.
While they are y comparison to other sections of the Argus, from the perspective of a layout staff member, the irrefutable beauty of Wespeaks is threefold:
1. I can come in at seven-thirty and finish my work in an hour or two.
2. I never have to input changes from the copy editors: Whereas in a feature article bad comma placement is a high journalistic crime, in the context of a Wespeak the Argus considers it “freedom of expression.”
3. I can leave the Broad Street before the keg is kicked, the crowd dissipates and the remaining few grow increasingly belligerent throughout the night [read: Leshin starts yelling at news writers who missed their deadlines].
That being said—which it was—imagine my dismay when my production manager called me earlier this evening not one person had submitted a Wespeak for this Friday’s issue. When she asked me if I wanted to layout the Arts section, I almost lost a full serving of kielbasa and kraut all over the table at Usdan. I immediately knew the implications: I would not be sleeping before three; I would never make it to the mediocre show at Eclectic or the sloppy Beirut session at Psi U, nor would my Spanish homework make it out of my bag. My night was irreparably ruined.
But when I ask the glaringly obvious, “Why are there no Wespeaks,” I don’t only ask why in the way a recently diagnosed cancer patient might, but also—more selflessly—for the sake of our dear community. Wespeaks are supposed to be a major outlet for our individual voices on this campus, and to generate and continue occasionally potent debates about things that matter to us. If Lisa from Detroit can write a Wespeak just because six of the top ten Google hits for ’transgender’ linked to the Argus website, why can’t we take five or twenty minutes to write what’s on our minds? Wes, why aren’t Wespeaking?
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