DS View: Voice

OPINIONS Whether you agree with them or not, opinions, even the unpopular ones, are here to stay.

Last week, The Dakota Student ran an opinion section that covered sex, drinking, partying and more, yet for some reason, people who have no problem talking about such things in person didn’t take so kindly to the conversation when it was put it in print.

We’re college students. Every day is a long day. The hours spent sleeping in our bed are far too few. We’re unbelievably stressed.

We’re 20 somethings. We have packed social lives, family drama and emotional struggles. We live life every day in the very fullest sense of the phrase. Few stones are left unturned; few topics left uncovered. The conversation weaving through our social spheres is intertwined with every aspect of our being.

Aspects including sex, drinking and partying.

We’re journalists.The Dakota Student serves a college community known for parties and drinking. Our writers are all students living and going through life within this environment, and the opinion pieces written by them reflect their real life experiences and understandings, based on this community in which they live.

As a community paper, the Dakota Student reflects, in print, what students are saying and thinking and living. This is a place for readers to find information and opinions about UND, our campus, our shared social space.

We are a paper made up of sections, covering everything from news and sports to features and opinions. Each section provides something different for the reader and a separate, unique take on the news and conversations happening in our campus community. The pages of our news section covers in the most in-depth way it can, the hard news of the campus. Within our features section, readers can find profiles and features on various people and groups on campus. Our sports section offers game coverage, previews, player profiles, scores and everything else UND sports related.

It should come as no surprise that in the opinion section, readers might find opinions.

Our opinion section houses opinions that cover real things and are written by real people. It includes opinions that talk about sex and drinking and partying and swearing and sleeping naked. These are the perspective of students who live and experience such things.

As a paper that abides by the First Amendment, it is our right to cover such opinions. It is our right to take the unpopular side of issues, to talk about things that make people uncomfortable, to express ourselves as wholly and truly as we can, because we can.

You may not agree with an individual’s morals, opinions, ideas — but that doesn’t mean they have any less right to express them. You may not like the conversation, but it is happening all around all of us, whether we choose to partake or not. You may not enjoy the conversation but that doesn’t mean it isn’t valid.

And we, the Dakota Student editorial board, intend to keep the conversation going.