State of the Publication (Fall 2014): Welcome to The Public Servant!

By Miguel A. Novoa, MIA 2015 Published on October 28, 2014



Welcome to the new website for The Public Servant! As you explore the design and content, I hope you can take some time to read this short introduction.

Great changes have taken place over the past few months in the structure of this publication. As technology continuously pushes the rise of innovative models, our organization decided to rigorously work towards reconnecting with the student body by restructuring our staff and operations. Just as Rome wasn't built in a day, so did this process take a considerable amount of time to reach completion.

We now believe to have reached a stage where this ship is ready to set sail. Nonetheless, in order to stay afloat The Public Servant needs material. We currently have 4 publications (the Opinion, The Spotlight, The Radish, and Lingua Franca) with staff members readily available to help publish your material and answer any of your questions. Moreover, our quest for improvement is not over; please feel free to contact us with comments or suggestions.

Staff
I, Miguel Alberto Novoa, will serve as editor in chief of The Public Servant for the period Fall 2014-Spring 2015. Running the organization along with me are a group of outstanding leaders; to learn more about the team, please visit our staff page.

As administrators of the organization, our primary task here is to help place your work on the right section where it would best fit for display.

Vision
I applied to the position of editor in chief with one goal in mind: Reconnect the student body with this publication.

I knew the task would not be easy, and it has not been for a number of reasons. I thought about presenting them, but would prefer to focus on progress rather than on past problems.

I still believe that this ideal is attainable. The Public Servant is yours! Make your participation in here what you wish: Entertainment, intellectual discussions, declarations, polls, etc.; you name it!

Mission
The Public Servant is an organization where students can exercise what they learn in their classes, where alumni can share their experiences, and where faculty and staff can provide guidance and information.

Wikia
Yes, I am aware that Wikia is a strange domain from which to host the student publication. However, please be aware that this service is completely free. I also consider that Wikia provides a simple web codification ("wiki text") that can be molded to almost anything; the limit depends on your imagination.

Some important points, as you roam the website:
 * 1) Please remember to follow the guidelines! They are 3 simple ones.
 * 2) The upper right-hand video in the main page is part of the Wikia structure (and the main reason this domain is free). I cannot control what it shows, and it in no way reflects the views of The Public Servant or the Bush School. That said, it mostly presents BuzzFeed material and movie previews (and you can also pause the videos).
 * 3) Sometimes the main page's background will change to highlight an advertisement (the other main reason this domain is free). As pointed out before, this does not reflect the views of The Public Servant or the Bush School.
 * 4) Comments sections are available below most articles. I encourage you to leave comments to critique articles, show support, initiate discussions, etc.
 * 5) Talk pages are also available for discussions, but these are less visible. I would prefer that you only use them to comment on any technical mistakes found within articles (including grammar errors that we may not have caught, dead links, or signs of vandalism).

Account profiles
I encourage all of you to create account profiles for this website. I recommend providing a professional description of yourself, and a good way for others to contact you (think e-mail or LinkedIn).

Work in Progress
Please remember that, as this is a new website, several parts of it are still under construction. A number of articles still need to be formatted to fit the new standards, and we are still in the process of working with other student organizations to help them create areas from which they can be a part of this publication (with their own news and updates).

Myth of Omnipresence
Were you at that outstanding event that took place a couple of days ago? Great! The Public Servant was probably not present.

I write this not to sound pessimistic, but to indicate that we need you to provide us with the necessary information of activities and events that are of interest to you. I do not just mean for you to tell us about when the event will take place, but to provide us with content (your perspectives after having participated in it) and pictures.

We will try to have many of our team members cover numerous events, but please consider that our numbers and time are limited. Consider also that, even after going to events, the perspective we present will never match the one you have in mind. Therefore, I encourage you to provide us with your views and thoughts.

Closing remarks
"If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write something worth reading or do things worth writing." -- Benjamin Franklin

I know that all of you have dreams and goals. I also know that many of you are unsure of how to reach those goals and dreams.

The Public Servant is part of the toolkit available at your disposal to help you achieve your goals. Here you will always have the opportunity to write something worth reading. There is no limit within the realm of ideas. Together we can work towards making your dreams a reality!