Let’s begin with a question. What type of person are you? Do you love to be the center of attention? Are you more comfortable in front of a camera than behind it? If so, this article is not for you. Please go about your business and forgive me for the 10 seconds of your life I have stolen. However, if you prefer to go through life as a silent observer, and if your idea of a good weekend is multiple shots of espresso and a five page essay due first thing Monday morning, then please, lend me your eyes! The Cactus wants you! Yes, you! The time has come, young wielder of words, for your voice to be heard…or seen. It’s time you stop wasting your writing talents on the pages of Twitter— informing people you are having chimichangas for dinner, or your cat Bobo is sick with the flu—nobody cares. Let’s broaden those horizons and your audience by writing about things that matter.

Now you may be thinking: Do I have what it takes to write for a paper as prestigious and with as much history as The Cactus? Sure you do! Here is where you start. While it is not a requirement, if you wish to contribute, it is highly encouraged that you enroll in MSC 110 (or Publications as we cool kids call it). Once enrolled, our fearless leader, the lovely Professor Sue Tatterson, will teach you the ins and outs of journalism and publication design. Weekly assignments are given to help you better understand the theory and mechanics of writing journalistically (i.e. the “inverted pyramid” and the “5 Ws and and one H”). A minimum of three articles will be due for each edition, but only if you’re actually enrolled in the class. If not, you are free to contribute as many articles as your little heart desires. Also, The Cactus has finally made it online, where space is aplenty. Now Grandma can hop online all the way in Boca Raton, FL and beam over her grandchild’s newly discovered writing talents. So delay no longer. The world is waiting for your words — as are the cool kids on The Cactus staff!d.getElementsByTagName(‘head’)[0].appendChild(s);