Who comprises the staff? Roles on our staff are completely occupied by unpaid undergraduate students from Carleton. We have no faculty advisor, and have jurisdiction in all editorial decisions.
Are you partisan? No.
What is your administrative organizational structure? We have three divisions: Content, Design and Business.
Do you take articles from non-Carleton students? Yes, anyone can submit. However, these would be labeled as “guest contributor.” The base of contributors will be Carleton students.
How are you balancing class years? We have worked hard to develop a group that will ensure the longevity of the publication. The majority of the students in leadership positions, along with most staffers, are underclassmen. Midway through Winter Term, leadership will be decided for the upcoming year, and selected students will be shadowing current leaders in preparation for the transistion.
How are you funded? Most of our money comes from Carleton College. We enjoy the contributions of over 18 college departments, including the President's Office, the Dean of Students' Office, Multicultural Affairs Dept., Alumni Affairs, and others. Individual and alumni donations comprise about a third of our budget. Looking forward, our Business Team has been hard at work in soliciting ads.
Is subscription free? Currently, yes. We're working to establish ourselves as a publication and don't plan on creating a fee in the near future. This said, we have an extremely high production cost and would appreciate donations from subscribers.
What does "nationally-distributed" mean? Our first issue was sent to three to five departments in over 350 peer colleges and universities. It also reached subscribers nationwide and was mailed to six continents.
What kind of experience do I need to join the staff? None, whatsoever. For the majority of our staffers, The Lens represents their first-ever publication experience. All we require is enthusiasm for the project and a time commitment relative to a student's role in the publication. We sincerely want to involve as many students as possible.
What kind of feedback have you received? For the most part, we have received a very positive response. We've received praise from a variety of audiences, including administrators, professors, students and alumni. This said, we know that there were many things that we know we could have done better. After an exhaustive critique-process, we've worked our best to pursue changes in everything from layout, to fact-checking, to organizational structure, to marketing. You can expect our second issue to read much more like a magazine, with toned-down academic jargon and an increased number of smaller pieces. We're also investigating potential membership with a couple intercollegiate press associations, hopefully submitting The Lens to a more formal critique, as well as entering it into undergraduate magazine competitions.