The co-Editor-in-Chief of Big Straw, MCS senior Sally He, explained that she started the publication as an Asian American literature class project. HSS senior Matthew Kopel, editor-in-chief of The Oakland Review, a returning literary journal, felt that his acceptance into the Carnegie Mellon writing community charged him with a sense of responsibility to give back to the community. SCS senior Han Lee, chief director and editor of Thought, explained that she thinks that her publication will be filling a void in the Carnegie Mellon community. Each has an exciting, new text to share.

This year, the Carnegie Mellon community finds itself with these three new publications to consider. The goals of these rather progressive journals are to provide an open forum of student ideas and to stimulate discussion within the University, something that is an important addition to the community.

Big Straw, which derives its name from the larger-than-normal straws needed to drink the popular Asian beverage bubble tea, hopes to serve as Carnegie Mellon's Asian-interest magazine. The publication aims to expose the dynamics of Asian culture. The editors hope to accomplish this by drawing on a diverse collection of student media, including explorations of sociopolitics important to the Asian community, investigations into the complexities of Asian culture and artwork, and perhaps even a few movie reviews. He stressed that while the magazine is Asian-interest, it is not exclusively Asian. The publication will be a cooperative effort between Carnegie Mellon and the University of Pittsburgh. He reports that there is significant interest in their efforts at both universities. Today, December 15, Big Straw's debut publication is being handed out in the University Center. Additional copies will be left in University buildings throughout campus. Big Straw is already looking for submissions for its next publication as well. Contact He and the Big Straw staff at bigstraw@gmail.com.

The Oakland Review, which released its first publication in several years in the spring of 2005, is Carnegie Mellon's annual art and literary journal. The journal accepts poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, plays, and artwork from any undergraduate at the university. Monetary prizes are awarded each year for top submissions. As Kopel described, the journal hopes to provide students with a chance to showcase their talent. It aims to provide its contributors with a "close-to-home first publication," said Kopel. Undoubtedly, getting published beyond the confines of the Carnegie Mellon community can be intimidating, and getting published here may just be the confidence booster that an aspiring writer or artist needs.

Though the Oakland Review has a very full and successful history at the university, it has been missing from the Carnegie Mellon community for the past few years. The journal was first started in 1974. For many years, the journal accepted work from both students and faculty, as well as students from other universities. However, it maintains that it has always been run entirely by students. The Oakland Review has been recognized nationally by the Associated Writing Programs as a finalist in the Undergraduate Journal Competition. The current Oakland Review staff looks to see similar accolades in the coming years. The deadline for submissions this year is February 2, 2006. Contact Kopel and the Oakland Review staff at oakland.review@gmail.com.

Thought is Carnegie Mellon's new undergraduate research journal, open to all research disciplines at the university. The primary goal of this publication is to create a central forum to bring together a thriving, but very disjointed, undergraduate research community. Lee expressed that even as a non-researcher, she felt that such a community was missing from the university. The problem she sees is that research is not visible enough without a central forum to look to. Thought hopes to make itself synonymous with such a community.

The success of Thought will depend on the reaction by the research community and interested non-researchers. Though Thought staff members have put up posters across campus, the response has been somewhat limited, mainly only from those already involved research. While Thought hopes to begin another aggressive advertising campaign next semester, their success is more tied to the popularity of their final publication than the visibility of their posters. Final submissions for the first publication are due by January 16, 2006, and the submission form is available on Thought's website.

Does Carnegie Mellon need these additions to the somewhat limited selection of current student-run publications? Carnegie Mellon is often described as having dedicated, work-driven students. However, it is also categorized by a lack of participation beyond core academics. By creating communities to discuss issues and share ideas, these journals may be filling a missing component in the university community. Hopefully, they will foster the ideas and communication that they claim. What is important is that they will get students involved in expressing their thoughts and talents.

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