Website review
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What is The Chart?
The Chart is the student-run news site of Missouri Southern State University (MSSU) in Joplin, Missouri. It publishes campus reporting such as news, campus life features, sports coverage and press releases, with bylined student reporters.
Typical coverage includes:
- Campus news and administrative changes
- Student life and campus events
- Athletics results and championships
- Feature stories on university projects and facilities
If you are a prospective student or family member, The Chart is a practical way to see what campus life and university priorities actually look like between official communications. Start with the "News" and "Campus Life" sections for recent stories, and use the reporter bylines to judge whether coverage is student-written. For official admissions or institutional information, compare against the university's own site rather than relying on student reporting alone.
How can I submit a news tip or story idea to The Chart?
The page evidence for The Chart shows published stories with named student reporters, editor credits and a “Press Release” item, but it does not include a submissions page, an email address or a form for news tips. So the honest answer is: the site itself does not state a tip-submission route on the material provided. You will need to use the contact information the publication lists elsewhere on its site, or reach the newsroom through the university department that oversees it.
For a student newsroom like this one, the practical route is usually one of these:
- Look for a “Contact” or “About” page on the same site. Student papers typically list an editor email, an office location and sometimes a phone number there.
- Approach the section editor directly. A campus life opening, a club event or a sports result is best pitched to whoever covers that beat rather than to a general inbox.
- Use the university’s communication channels if the site has no visible newsroom contact. Missouri Southern State University is the publisher’s parent institution; its communications office can usually forward a tip.
- Submit in writing with the basics: what happened, when, where, who is involved, why it matters to students, and how you can be reached. Attach photos only if you own them or have permission.
A useful decision rule: if your tip is time-sensitive (an event this week, a sudden closure, a breaking campus issue), contact the newsroom directly and early rather than waiting for a form to be processed. If it is a feature idea with a longer runway, a short email pitch is fine.
For context on how this publication operates, its recent coverage includes department leadership changes, a memorial service, a campus coffee shop opening and a Route 66 balloon festival — a mix of hard campus news and student-life features. That tells you what kinds of tips fit: campus events, new services, staffing changes, student achievements and anything affecting daily student life. A press release from an athletics programme also appears in the feed, so official announcements are clearly accepted as submissions too.
If you want to see how a comparable student outlet handles tips, The Daily Orange and The Maneater publish contact and submission details on their own sites; their formats are useful models, but they are not affiliated with The Chart.
How do I contact The Chart's editorial staff or reporters?
Contact The Chart through its newsroom rather than through individual reporters' personal channels. It is the student news site of Missouri Southern State University, so the practical route is the student media/newsroom contact or the university Communications Department.
- Start with the site's contact or about page: The Chart
- If you need a specific reporter, name them and the story/date in your message so the newsroom can route it.
- For general campus news tips, corrections, or coverage requests, send a short email with the who, what, when, where and why it matters.
- For sensitive tips, ask whether the newsroom can keep you anonymous before sharing details.
A useful next step: open the site, look for "Contact," "About" or staff listings, and email the editor with a clear subject line such as "Story tip: [topic]" or "Correction request: [headline]." If the site does not list a direct newsroom email, contact the MSSU Communications Department and ask them to forward your message to The Chart's editorial staff.
What types of stories and sections does The Chart cover?
The Chart covers campus-centered news for Missouri Southern State University, with a strong emphasis on institutional changes, student life and athletics. Its stories are written and photographed largely by student reporters, so the coverage reads as a record of what is happening on and around campus rather than as regional or national news.
Sections and story types visible on the site
- News – administrative appointments, memorials and campus-wide announcements. Examples include a new Communications Department chair and a memorial service for a late professor, including a note that classes were cancelled so the campus could attend.
- Campus Life – everyday student experience, such as reviews of Café Roar, the on-campus coffee shop in the Roy Blunt Health Science building.
- Sports – team results and championships, such as MSSU softball winning the MIAA Tournament.
- Campus development and facilities – construction and opening updates, including the Roy Blunt Health Science building.
- Community and local events – coverage of events hosted at or near the university, such as the Route 66 Balloon Festival.
- Student achievement and awards – departmental honors such as the annual Communication Awards.
- Press releases – some items, like the softball championship, are labeled as press releases rather than reported pieces.
What this means for readers
If you are a student, parent, faculty member or local resident, The Chart is most useful for finding out how campus decisions affect daily life: schedule changes, new buildings, new food options and who is leading which department. Prospective students can use it to get a sense of campus culture and activities, though it is not a comprehensive guide to admissions or academics.
One trade-off: the mix of student reporting and press releases means the depth and independence of coverage varies by story. For quick campus updates, that is usually fine; for issues requiring investigation or broader context, expect the site to reflect the university community's perspective rather than a watchdog approach.
Next step
Start with the News and Campus Life categories if you want a feel for campus priorities, then check Sports and community event coverage to see how the university connects with Joplin. If you are researching a specific department or building, search the site for that name rather than browsing the homepage, since older stories drop off the front page quickly.
How can I join The Chart as a student reporter or contributor?
The most direct route is to contact the newsroom through the channels listed on The Chart's own site rather than waiting for a formal application window. Student newsrooms at universities typically recruit continuously, and a short introduction email expressing interest in reporting, photography, design or copy editing is usually enough to start a conversation.
The Chart – The Student News Site of Missouri Southern State University
What to expect from a student newsroom
The Chart publishes campus news, campus life features and sports coverage, with bylines from student reporters and press releases. That mix tells you the work is largely beat-style: covering events, interviewing faculty and students, writing up announcements, and turning around short stories on deadline. Contributors often start with smaller assignments before taking on features or investigative pieces.
How to make your first contact count
- Name a beat or skill. Say whether you want to report news, cover sports, take photos, edit copy or manage social media.
- Show one sample. A class paper, a blog post or even a well-written email pitch demonstrates your writing more than a résumé line does.
- Ask about the process. Request a meeting or ask who handles new contributor onboarding, and mention your availability during the week.
- Follow up once. If you don't hear back within a week or two, a polite second note is normal in newsrooms.
A practical first step
If you're an MSSU student, look for the contact page or the staff listing on the site and email the editor or adviser with two or three sentences about your interest and one example of your work. If you're not at MSSU, check whether your own campus has a student publication — the same approach works at most of them.
As general advice, student journalism rewards reliability over credentials: turning in clean copy on time and volunteering for unglamorous assignments is what typically leads to bigger stories.
Where can I find The Chart's coverage of MSSU sports and campus events?
The Chart publishes both under one site: The Chart. Sports stories and campus-event coverage appear as separate items on its homepage feed, so you do not need a different outlet or section for each.
What you'll find there
- Campus events: coverage of things like the Route 66 Balloon Festival hosted at MSSU, a memorial service for a professor, and the opening of the on-campus Café Roar.
- Sports: game results and championship stories, such as MSSU softball's MIAA Tournament win.
- University news: administrative and departmental changes, including a new Communications Department chair, plus student award announcements.
How to browse it
The homepage presents recent stories in a dated feed with a headline, a short excerpt, and the reporter's byline. For sports specifically, expect recaps and press-release-style items rather than long features; for campus events, expect reporter-written pieces that often include visitor or student reactions.
Practical next step
If you are following one team or one recurring event, scan the feed by date rather than by category, since sports and campus life are interleaved. When you find a story you want to track, note the reporter's name — at a student newsroom this size, the same few reporters cover related beats, so their bylines are a fast way to find earlier coverage.
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