Six students from Professor Michael Beevers’ Intro to Environmental Science 130 class were recently published in six respective newspapers. As part of an assignment, Beevers had the class write Opinion/Editorial articles based on “any environmental issue,” but this time, he noted, “I had them actually submit it to a newspaper.” Isabel Burlingame ’15, Brian Haig ’13, Brian Martin ’14, Eric Ondo ’15, Sarah Phillips ’15 and Victoria Waldron ’15 each published an article in the Op-Ed section of their hometown newspaper.

In an interview, Beevers explained his reasons for assigning the project, “Op-Eds are really good for getting students to think in a clear, provocative way.” He elaborated, “A lot of students think you have to be an expert to be published…but I really want students to know they’re relevant.” Waldron, who sent her article on reducing carbon footprints to the Albany Times Union, echoed that sentiment in an e-mail, “I never thought it would get published or that anyone would care about what I have to say.” Students could send the piece to any newspaper they wanted, but Beevers encouraged them to send it to their local or regional newspaper. “They know what’s going on [in their hometown] and they can contribute to the dialogue.” He added, “There’s something great about students going away to college and still thinking about their regional town.”

Student reactions to the assignment were overwhelmingly positive. “I was really excited when I found out that my article was published, and it meant a lot to me to be published in my hometown newspaper…. I’m definitely glad I submitted something and tried to get it published, it was a rewarding experience,” Ondo wrote in an e-mail. Burlingame noted something similar in her’s, “This article was one of the most worthwhile assignments that I’ve had at Dickinson.”

Haig commented, “If it hadn’t been for Professor Beevers’ class, I would have never done this. But honestly, I’m glad I did. It was an interesting chance to go through the process of having an article published, and now that I’ve done it once, I’d definitely do it again.”

As for Beevers, “I’m still shocked,” he commented, adding, “It’s such a great feeling.”