Written for students, by students

Dear reader, whether you are new to campus or have been here for some time you may be wondering what this 122-year old paper is even about. 

The Sheaf was started in 1912. As the University of Saskatchewan’s undergraduate student newspaper, it has a rich history of giving voice to students to share their life experiences and issues that resonate with them. Additionally, it is a founding member of the Canadian University Press. 

Now you might have heard about the Sheaf being a newspaper, but do you know what the production process for a newspaper looks like or the sections that you, as an undergraduate student, can write about? Yes, YOU can write for the Sheaf. Well fear not — your News Editor is here to break it all down for you. 

The Sheaf office is located in Room 108 on the first floor of the Memorial Union Building at USask. When the Sheaf first started, its publications were in booklet form with an average of 5 issues per year. This academic year there will be 10 print  issues along with many more publications throughout the year on the Sheaf’s website.  The Sheaf publishes 3,000-6,000 copies of each issue. You can find these copies at one of the 30 locations across campus. 

There are four sections that make up each print publication: News, Opinions, Culture and Sports and Health. These categories cover a wide range of stories from Huskie sports teams’ wins to information about university services to film reviews of the latest book adaptation. However, if you have a pitch that doesn’t fit into any of these categories, the Sheaf would still love to hear from you and explore the story. The Sheaf is your student newspaper and is a reflection of what students want to read about. If you want to know more about an event on campus or learn more about services offered by the University then stop by and ensure that the Sheaf is writing stories that you are invested in. Note, even if the article being written is an opinion piece it must be supported by credible sources and facts. 

The publication cycle for this newspaper, while seemingly daunting, has been streamlined into a well-oiled machine over the years. It starts with pitching the article idea. Pitching the article entails explaining the general topic of the article and a brief overview of what direction the writer is wanting to take the story to the Section Head Editor and the Editor in Chief, who may provide feedback on the idea. From there the writer will start researching and drafting the initial article. After the rough draft has been created it will move into the editing stage of the production cycle. 

Each article goes through three rounds of edits. The first editor will be the Section Editor . After a few rounds of revisions with the Section Editor, it will move onto the Copy Editor whose primary focus is on maintaining the journalistic standards by checking the sources, ensuring adequate factual backing of the article and that it follows the Canadian Press Style. Lastly, the Editor in Chief will edit the article before it goes to layout. When the article is in layout, it is formatted with the other articles for the print publication and a graphic or a photo is chosen to give a visual aide to the article. Once layout is completed the article will get published in the physical paper and online on the Sheaf’s website.

There are many ways that undergraduate students can get involved with the Sheaf. One way is as a volunteer writer. If writing is not your strong suit, volunteering graphic designs or photographs is another way to get involved. A bonus from volunteering is that it is on the students timeframe. If one simply wanted to write one article they could just write that singular piece, but if they wanted to write more frequently such as once a month they could also do that. Reach out to any Sheaf staff member to learn more about volunteering with the Sheaf. 

If one wants a larger role with a longer time commitment, becoming a member of the Sheaf’s editorial team and staff is the way to go! Roles include: Staff Writers who write articles; Section Editors for each of the four main sections who, in addition to writing articles, also edit the articles in their section; A Copy Editor who edits all the articles written to ensure that they are maintaining journalistic standards;lastly the Editor in Chief who, in addition to editing all the written articles, does general administrative tasks associated with running the Sheaf student staff. New positions this year include Digital Media Creator, so be sure to check out the Sheaf on TikTok and Twitter! Any undergraduate student can apply for these positions. Applications generally open in February for the following academic year. 

Another volunteer position with the Sheaf is becoming a member of the board. As a student, you can sit on the board of directors. However, keep in mind that one would then not be allowed to be affiliated with the production of any of the articles for the Sheaf or write for the Sheaf. 

If one is interested in reading previous articles published, the Sheaf website has a plethora of articles available. Early editions of the Sheaf can be found at the university library’s website at USask Sheaf archive. These are scanned images of all copies of the Sheaf that are in the university’s archives. 

The Sheaf is written for students by students! Get your copy on stands across campus today!