Communication - a five-syllable word that gets you through the day. But most of the time, we don't actually think about how we're communicating unless something isn't going as it should.
The woman behind the counter in the Atrium didn't hear you correctly and you get mayonnaise on your sandwich, even though you ordered it without.
Your friend gives you bad directions and you end up on the wrong side of town and 20 minutes late to an interview.
You forgot to call your girlfriend and now she's giving you the silent treatment.
Miscommunication can lead to any number of problems. And the Daily News has had communication issues of its own this summer.
Former basketball head coach Ronny Thompson hid from the media during departure from the university, leaving us to speculate why he split and what it meant about our athletic department and university.
One day this summer, Parking decided an increase in meter prices would be a nice change of pace. Administrators at the Parking office didn't return calls, but that wasn't the only communication snafu. The office was also slow to inform students, faculty and staff of the increase, leaving meter users short-changed - literally.
It seems as if the communication lines between the Daily News and the rest of the university have a kink or two in them. One of our goals this year at the Daily News is to improve the way we communicate with our readers, our interviewees and anyone else we come in contact with.
And that's where you come in. We need to hear from you if communication is to improve. We need to hear the good, the bad, the gossip, the proven fact - all of it.
Our reporters are human. Whether they've been with us three days or three years, they make mistakes. Our editors don't catch all of those mistakes and they go into print. This isn't the case most of the time, but it does happen. And we can't make it right and correct the error unless you let us know by e-mailing us at correction@bsudailynews.com with the error and the information needed to correct it.
If you have a news tip or story idea, send pertinent information to our news desk at news@bsudailynews.com or to me at editor@bsudailynews.com.
If you have a community event or a weekly meeting you want students to know about, fill out a Days Ahead request for page 2 at bsudailynews.com/daysahead.
If you want to speak out about an issue, send us a letter to the editor at bsudailynews.com/lettertotheeditor.
If you frequently have opinions on issues affecting Ball State students, apply to be a regular columnist by e-mailing opinion@bsudailynews.com.
We're here to serve you. If we're not doing our jobs - if you're bored, if you're confused, if there's something you think we're not doing well enough - let us know.
And on the flip side, if we did something you really like, we want to hear about it. If we know you like it, chances are we'll do it again.
So, as we all start a new semester, whether it's your first, last or anywhere in between, good luck in communicating. We hope to hear from you soon.
Write to Jessica at editor@bsudailynews.com
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