uwstudent.org will be returning once classes begin in May.

We are working to ensure that archives of uws will continue to be available, while making an appropriate system that will allow us to operate as we should and provide value to students. We will return to delivering quality news as well as other relevant information, maintaining student knowledge of UW. In those endeavours we will continue to provide opportunity for participation.

Delivering news and information

Blogging about news reported at other sources and providing commenting is useful but generally not that difficult. Chris has achieved well what he set out to do, but that sort of thing is easily replicable. There is value, differentiation, and barrier to entry in investigating and reporting original news. Furthermore now at Waterloo, there is a dearth of it happening. uws did well in providing good original news coverage and that will continue to be a part of uws operations.

Knowledge

In addition to time-specific information there is space to collect, maintain, and provide more timeless or ongoing knowledge. There is a lot of important and interesting knowledge in uws archives, but it is not as easy to access and learn.

We will set up a media wiki to house knowledge in a UW student encyclopedia. Contributing to the wiki will be open, but it will not be for any types of content. As it gets established, it is even more important that the quality and focus be maintained

Participation

Any student will, as before, be able to participate in discussions, in reader-directed content, and certain other types of content. Students who want to be more involved and get a richer experience can learn research, investigation, and reporting to provide valuable news to students. Since original reporting is an important part of uws, we need to ensure that participants are trained and able to fulfil that role.

Service

The value of uws is not simply news discussion, but the finding and the delivery of the truth. Reporting the truth to students and having students informed about their organizations and the university will make them better able to exercise influence and more effective in whatever role they play on campus.

• Will uwstudent.org come back? 21 Apr 2006