You can tell a lot about a community by the local paper's opinion page. The news pages give factual, objective portrayals of the issues, but the opinion page provides a forum to get at the soul of a debate. What's more, it gives readers a voice. Only here can one find what really irks and excites the members of a community, what gets them motivated enough to sit down and pound out a response to something occurring around their area.

Consequently, those who create the letters, columns and art on the opinion page should be representative of the local population. The ideal opinion page would contain ideas from all over the political and social spectrum, from men and women of all races and ethnicities. These kinds of pages just don't work if they consistently display the same beliefs by people with the same world-views. In this case, diversity of opinion isn't just important, it is essential.

When something happens at Penn State or in State College, students always come out in full force and the letters start pouring in. When an issue affects Penn Staters, you can be sure that, a day or two later, a column will appear in the Collegian, opining on a side of the matter. Let's keep it up this semester. Most importantly, let's make sure that a wide range of opinions is represented on these pages.

I am reminded of something a former Collegian member once said to me. When asked why she decided to join the Collegian, she responded that she didn't see enough of herself here and she wanted to change that. I think this is a great way of looking at things.

Ask yourself, do you see yourself represented here? Are your beliefs and ways of looking at the world aired on the pages of the Collegian? If you don't, do something about it. Write a letter (or 10) or apply to be a columnist or editorial cartoonist. Where else can you spout your opinions — in an intelligent and well-written manner, of course — to thousands of Penn Staters?

If something moves you, write a letter. If you want to speak out on a regular basis, becoming a columnist or editorial cartoonist is simple. I hear it's kind of fun as well. Just come to the Collegian offices and pick up an application. See the ad on the left for further details.

When visitors and both new and prospective students come into town and pick up a copy of the Collegian, my hope is that they see what drives us here at Penn State — all of us.