studlife.com

What is Student Life?

Student Life is the independent student newspaper of Washington University in St. Louis. It covers campus news, sports, opinion and forum pieces, and arts and culture through its Scene section, and it is produced by students rather than by the university administration.

For a prospective student, that independence is the practical value: Student Life is a place to read reporting on campus issues, student government, athletics and campus life that is written from a student perspective. For current students, it is also an outlet — you can pitch stories, write columns or join the paper's staff.

A useful next step is to browse the News and Scene sections to get a feel for the kinds of stories the paper covers, then check whether there is a section, such as Forum or Sports, that matches what you would want to read or write. If you are deciding whether to get involved, treat it as a real newsroom: expect editing, deadlines and a beat to cover, not just a casual club.

How can I subscribe to Student Life?

Subscription details for Student Life aren't laid out on its homepage beyond a prompt to "Stay in Touch!" — the site shows a subscribe option but no visible plan tiers or prices, so the exact steps and cost need to be confirmed on the subscription page itself.

A practical way to check:

• Look for the "Stay in Touch!" section or a Subscribe link in the site header or footer.
• Follow the subscribe flow to see whether it offers a print edition, digital access, or both, and what each costs.
• If you're a WashU student, faculty or staff member, ask whether campus affiliation changes access before paying — student newspapers often have separate arrangements for the campus community.

As a reader scenario: if you mainly want campus news, sports and opinion, a digital subscription is usually the simpler choice; if you want the print edition delivered, verify delivery area and frequency first, since those details vary and aren't stated on the homepage.

Next step: open the subscribe page, note the options and any cancellation terms, and only then decide — or email the newsroom if the options aren't clear.

What kind of news does Student Life cover?

Student Life covers campus-centered news for the Washington University in St. Louis community, organized around sections such as News, Sports, Forum, and Scene. In practice, that means reporting on university administration and student government, campus events and issues, varsity and club athletics, opinion and debate pieces, and arts and culture around campus.

For a reader, the useful distinction is between its two roles:

• News and Sports are the straightforward reporting sections: what happened, who was involved, and what it means for students.
• Forum is opinion and argument rather than reporting, so treat those pieces as viewpoints.
• Scene covers arts, culture, and campus life — reviews, profiles, and features rather than breaking news.

If you want to follow a specific topic, start with the section that matches it rather than browsing everything: News for university decisions and campus affairs, Sports for teams and athletes, Forum for student debate, and Scene for cultural coverage.

How does Student Life's editorial independence from Washington University work?

Student Life describes itself as the independent newspaper of Washington University in St. Louis. In practice, that means the paper's editorial decisions — what it covers, who it interviews, and what it publishes — are made by its student editorial staff rather than by university administrators, even though the paper covers and circulates within the WashU community. Independence of this kind is about who controls the newsroom, not about severing all ties: a campus paper can be independent editorially while still relying on campus readership, student staff, and sometimes university-adjacent funding or facilities.

For a reader, the practical test is simple: when the paper criticizes the administration, a student government, or a major campus institution, does it do so without prior approval or retaliation? That is the behavior editorial independence is meant to protect. For a prospective staffer, it means pitching and reporting stories on your own judgment, with editors — not administrators — deciding what runs.

Student Life

How can I submit a tip, letter, or opinion piece to Student Life?

Student Life accepts reader contributions through its Forum section, which is the paper's opinion and commentary desk. In practice, that means letters to the editor and longer opinion pieces go to the Forum editors, while news tips about campus events, administrative decisions or student-life issues go to the News desk. The homepage's "Stay in Touch!" heading points to the same set of contact and follow options.

Which route fits what you have

How to make it likely to run

• Lead with the point. Editors skim; put the news or the argument in the first two sentences.
• Say who you are. A student, a staff member, an alum or a neighbor changes how a piece reads. Student Life is the independent newspaper of Washington University in St. Louis, so campus ties matter.
• Keep opinion pieces argued, not just asserted. One claim, a few concrete examples, and an acknowledgment of the other side.
• Pitch before you write if the piece is long. A two-line email saves you a draft.
• Send it early for time-sensitive items. A letter about last week's decision is less useful than one about tomorrow's vote.

Your next step: open the site and look for the contact or submissions link near the Forum and News sections, then send a short pitch naming the section, your angle, and your connection to campus. If you cannot find a form, address your email to the section editor by name and keep the subject line specific, for example "Forum submission: why the dining hours should change."

What sports and campus events does Student Life report on?

Student Life covers Washington University in St. Louis athletics and campus life through its News and Sports sections, with additional culture and opinion coverage in Scene and Forum. Based on its section headings, sports reporting focuses on the university's varsity teams and athletic events, while campus news covers the broader events and issues affecting the university community.

What that means in practice

• Sports: Game results, team performance and athlete stories tied to WashU's athletic programs.
• Campus events: News-driven coverage of things happening on and around campus, from student life to university announcements.
• Scene: Arts, culture and lifestyle angles, which often include campus performances, exhibitions and social events.
• Forum: Opinion and community discussion, useful for understanding how students react to campus issues.

A useful next step

If you're looking for a specific event or team, go straight to the Sports or News section rather than browsing the homepage. For a broader sense of campus culture around an event, check Scene and Forum, since those sections tend to carry the student-perspective and review-style coverage that straight news may not. As the independent student newspaper of Washington University in St. Louis, Student Life is a reasonable starting point for campus-focused reporting, though for official university announcements you'd want to compare it with the university's own channels.