jwoodard@nmsu.edu (Jeff Woodard) (06/22/91)
Whew! glad that flame fest of CACM is done.
I'm pretty new to the ACM, but nevertheless, I've been elected the
chair of the student chapter here at New Mexico State. One of the
projects that I want to try and accomplish is the establisment of a
student chapter newsletter or paper. I've been fighting the dead and
dying chapter syndrome, and I think one of the problems is that many
students just don't know what the ACM is. I think that a
newsletter/paper may be one of the best ways to get a little more
involvement. I've been toying with some column subjects that include
humorous light reading, and serious ACM-type informational articles.
I'd like to get some input as to what students would like to see in a
(monthly? bi-monthly? what works best?) publication. Ok folks, here
goes my ideas:
Subjects:
frumpy in depth research reports
research reports of other (not CS) departments applications of
computers
new hardware, software etc.
a short story series (like a soap opera -continued next issue-)
Computer joke of the month
UNIX/DOS/VMS/whatever tip of the month, tricks, shortcuts etc.
Personals??????
notes from the presidents desk (come on, it's got to have this!)
which would be local ACM news.
tales of a co-op hell - experiences from students just returning
from co-op jobs.
Anyway, these are some of my ideas for articles, however, it looks
like I'm going to be the principle author/editor/publisher 'till the
group gets rolling. Dont' like my ideas - flame 'em. Like 'em - let me
know. Any new ideas - post 'em.
see 'ya
Woody
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5625 N Grenada #7 Virgin Islands
Las Cruces, NM 88001 Tahiti
Only in my dreams
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When I grow up I wanna be the guy that thinks of all the really neato stuff
that goes here................. And DON'T call me Sir, I work for a living.
I don't know why they call me woody, I just smile and wonder.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^CLORE@OHSTPHRM.BITNET (Michael Clore) (06/25/91)
>I'm pretty new to the ACM, but nevertheless, I've been elected the >chair of the student chapter here at New Mexico State. One of the >projects that I want to try and accomplish is the establishment of a >student chapter newsletter or paper. I've been fighting the dead and >dying chapter syndrome, and I think one of the problems is that many >students just don't know what the ACM is. I faced that exact problem just a year ago, and I am happy to report that this problem can be resolved. In fact, I have been in contact with some other student chapters who were also successful in "re-building" their chapter. Has your chapter sent in an annual chapter report to HQ and your regional representative? I found it very useful to remain in contact with ACM. There is a LISTSERV list exclusively for ACM student chapters which allows student chapter to share ideas etc. If anyone would like more information on this list, please contact me. Another problem that you probably have is a lack of help. This will be one of your biggest problems. It is very difficult to find people who are as committed to reviving the chapter as yourself. How are your officers? >I think that a >newsletter/paper may be one of the best ways to get a little more >involvement..... >Anyway, these are some of my ideas for articles, however, it looks >like I'm going to be the principle author/editor/publisher 'till the >group gets rolling... A newsletter/paper is a good idea. Due to my recent experiences, I have to advise you not to expect a lot of help (at least not for a while). I see two approaches: 1) Make a fantastic newsletter which will make everyone want to get involved with it. 2) Start out slowly and gradually make the newsletter better and better as you receive more help. I personally recommend approach number 2. Unless, you're not taking any classes. It's easier to get people to help if you start them out on something easy and gradually give them more and more responsibility. In general, it will be difficult to find someone to volunteer to work on a big project. Also, I'm not convinced that approach number 1 could work, and you will be VERY busy. I've experimented with approaches similar to number 1; I just ended up doing most of the work despite my constant recruiting attempts. >I've been toying with some column subjects that include >humorous light reading, and serious ACM-type informational articles... > >Subjects: ... > frumpy in depth research reports > research reports of other (not CS) departments applications of > computers > new hardware, software etc. > a short story series (like a soap opera -continued next issue-) > Computer joke of the month > UNIX/DOS/VMS/whatever tip of the month, tricks, shortcuts etc. > Personals?????? > notes from the presidents desk (come on, it's got to have this!) > which would be local ACM news. (from the chair's desk) Of course! > tales of a co-op hell - experiences from students just returning How about: A) Interviews: i) Faculty: Most students have no idea what what the faculty are researching/teaching (at least at a large University). ii) Local companies. iii) Students B) Editorials Make sure the first thing one sees when the newsletter is opened is a calendar of events. Most of the newsletters I wrote were just about upcoming chapter activities and some general ACM information. For instance, a biography of each lecturer and a description of the lecture would be included in the newsletter, and officers would report about what they're working on. I tried to make the newsletter fairly formal. Maybe a newsletter that is more fun will attract readers, but I was afraid that some really stupid articles would end up in the newsletter, and students would think that the student chapter is full of a bunch of idiots and hence not join. Our newsletters were often around five pages long (three sheets of paper). So, I imagine what you have in mind will be pretty long. Make sure you can afford to produce it. You might want to consider sending the newsletter electronically. I tried to establish a newsletter exchange for student chapters (I was sort of successful). What I discovered was that very few chapter are actually producing a newsletter. Out of my list, only two of us were actually making a newsletter. Hopefully next year we can really get a newsletter exchange working. If anyone is interested in helping, please send me a message. > > >see 'ya > Woody > Michael Allen Clore "It is unworthy of excellent (persons) to lose hours like slaves in the labour of calculation" Baron Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz (1646-1716) <CLORE@OHSTPHRM.PHARMACY.OHIO-STATE.EDU> or <CLORE@OHSTPHRM.BITNET>