Join Our Staff
The Student welcomes any and all Amherst students who wish to contribute to the newspaper. We are always looking for staff to fill a variety of roles, ranging from writers and photographers to podcasters and web designers. No prior experience is required to join.
To get started, read over the section descriptions below and fill out this brief interest form, so that we can connect you with the sections you want to work for. If you are interested in something that is not included below, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at astudent@amherst.edu. We are always eager to launch new projects and sections, and take the paper to new heights.
Section Descriptions:
News: The News section reports on timely events affecting the college community, providing up-to-date coverage on anything from new department initiatives to campus-wide controversies.
Features: The Features section explores existing phenomena on campus. Stories may highlight aspects of campus and community life, offer in-depth investigations of campus trends and events, and more.
Opinion: The Opinion section presents compelling arguments about topics and issues relevant to the college community. Columnists generally write op-eds, but the section also encourages satire pieces and cartoons.
Arts & Living: The Arts & Living section covers campus art and performances, writes about events and trends in the broader creative world, and reviews works in film, TV, music, and more. The section also welcomes lifestyle content, as well as essays, poems, fiction, and other forms of art or personal narrative.
Sports: The Sports section reports on all things athletics at the college. While the section focuses its coverage on Amherst varsity athletics, it also writes stories on club sports and other recreational activities. The section features commentary on professional sports as well.
Crossword: Crossword staff work to create the weekly crossword puzzle. Interest in experimenting with a different type of engaging puzzle is also welcome.
Podcast: The Podcast section produces podcasts that tell stories and explore issues related to the college. Staff members can work on research and reporting, hosting and directing episodes, or audio editing and production.
Photo: The Photo team takes and edits photos to be used in articles across all sections. Staff members are also encouraged to pursue photo series of their own.
Graphics: The Graphics team produces graphics and illustrations to be used in articles across all sections. Staff members are also welcome to create standalone graphics to be published in the paper.
Design: The Design team creates and finalizes the layout of each print issue using Adobe InDesign. It also works on updating and innovating the design of the print paper.
Digital: The Digital team works on all projects related to The Student’s website, from development to design.
Social Media: The Social Media team manages The Student’s official Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook accounts. Staff members generate content promoting each week’s most important stories and develop strategies to increase user engagement.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: The DEI team works to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in The Student’s coverage and newsroom. Staff members can contribute to a variety of areas, including collecting data on stories and staff demographics, developing strategies to recruit and retain staff from underrepresented groups, and creating workshops on inclusive practices for the larger newsroom.
Business: The Business team handles The Student’s finances and works to generate revenue streams to fund the paper’s various expenses. Staff members respond to inquiries from and conduct outreach to potential advertisers, as well as work on developing donation and subscription models for the paper.