By DEBBIE LOEPERE

I sat for at least two hours looking through a book of quotations to find a catchy phrase with a lot of meaning, something everyone would exclaim "that really says it" when they read it. I couldn't find one.

Then I was going to start out this editorial trying to make the whole student body feel bad by saying "I want to thank about 20 students out of over 3,000 for writing last year . . . ." Well, that wouldn't have done any good anyway because everyone has an excuse for not doing something that satisfies him, which is the only person they have to answer to in this case.

I had finally decided on a "it's your paper; why don't you do something for it; it's your responsibility," type of of opening. But that line is much too over used. I also thought why be clever? Why not just tell the whole student body what we want from them, plain and simple. So I did, and this is it.

We on the "Westerner" staff want your ideas, feelings, gripes, thoughts, and expressions on any subject at all.

One of our main goals this year is to be an outlet for a person to express what he wants others in the school to know about. Anyone can come into R‑210 and look at the sign up sheets and do a story if he or she likes. Or, if we're doing something that you would like to comment on, let us know how you feel. For instance, if we're doing a story on Homecoming and you would like to be quoted as to your feelings, let us know.

This year we are going to start an "open column" hopefully, depending on student support, to be written by anyone not on the staff. This column can be any form of writing: poems, editorials, personal experiences, group comments, anything. How else can students express their opinions? Write a letter to the editor, a feature article, or an opinion poll. Turn in a creative picture or an amusing or a serious cartoon.

Talk about students being apathetic, never have any teachers or administration members written anything for us either.

If you're going to complain or comment, why don't you write it down; you may just understand it better. Turn it into R‑210 (signed, name withheld upon request) or the Westerner box in the cafeteria.