With over 100 years as a student-run initiative, the Sheaf has a long history at the University of Saskatchewan. The pages of the paper have held news stories, culture credits, sports stats and opinions editorials for the past century — no small feat for a tiny bundle of wheat.

Even if you roll your eyes at what you see in print — like this very article — this paper is made for students, by students. So why not contribute and shape the Sheaf Publishing Society into something stronger than ever?

Overhearing the words “I will not read that paper” falling from a few lips this past year gets a writer and editor thinking: How would you know what content graces these pages if you neglect to even take a peek?

Over its lengthy tenure, the Sheaf has garnered the reputation as a liberal arts rag devoid of content. But is that entirely true? This paper isn’t stagnant — it is molded by the minds of those who contribute to it and can be shaped to reflect the climate of the university. It is a reflection of what this campus has to offer. You don’t have to be seeking an arts degree to be a storyteller — even I’m not. What the paper needs are diverse voices in its pages.

Over the course of 2018, thesheaf.com has garnered 446,961 page views.The top articles are an eclectic mix of news and opinions, including a 2010 article written about Louis Riel that always seems to creep its way back to the top spot.

The paper is what you make of it. Whether you know it or not, if you are an undergraduate student, you are a member of the SPS. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but that makes you a part of this paper.

While many may think the Sheaf is a black hole where sloppy journalism goes to die, it really has the ability to be both a pulse point for what is happening on campus and an outlet where thousands of students can share their perspectives and chronicle what occurs in and around our small university.

While many full-time students bemoan the $8.88 per term that they have to shell out to the Sheaf as part of their undergraduate fees, that $17 per year helps many students get into journalism, editing, illustration, photography and writing. It helps to build portfolios and set up careers for thousands of undergraduates.

Your contribution not only allows you the opportunity to secure a platform for your voice it also gives you the opportunity to shape the content. If you don’t like what you read, you have the power to change that.

Just ask the Agros. They wanted agriculture featured in the paper, so they took the initiative to create that content and carved out a spot for articles that promote their college and educate the rest of us. So why don’t you contribute to the Sheaf this year? Breathe some life back into the newspaper by taking on the topics you care about and using your voice to influence this paper and this university.

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Erin Matthews / Opinions Editor

Graphic: Jaymie Stachyruk / Graphics Editor