On any other page of the Optimist one can find coverage of campus news, the latest updates on ACU’s NCAA Division II sports teams or reported stories about interesting people, events and shows at ACU and in Abilene. But the Opinion Page is a venue for argument, agreement, discourse and discussion.

Each issue of the Optimist Opinion page will carry an editorial that holds the opinion of the Editorial Board, will feature personal columns by staff members and will display an editorial cartoon. We do this not to slap our opinions on the ACU community or splatter our thoughts on the latest ACU controversy, but to be a public forum of civil discussion for ACU students, administrators, faculty and staff on global, national, local and campus news.

The open and public environment the Optimist Opinion Page provides is invaluable to the ACU community. Although no official Opinion Page existed when the first issue of the Optimist was distributed among the ACU community in 1912, the Optimist was still a public forum for discussion and opinion.

The days of stamping and sending a letter to the editor have been upgraded and enhanced by the ability to instantly comment online or e-mail an opinion, but the tradition of the Optimist Opinion Page remains.

The 2008-09 Editorial Board members come from various backgrounds and hold different views on issues that shape and shake our community and nation. Because of this, we are able to ensure diverse voices are heard when the Optimist states its opinion on any given issue.

We encourage readers to actively participate in the communal discourse and respond online or send letters to the editor to feed discussion. Together, with the opinions of our readers and our staff, we proudly provide a venue in which all voices have a right to comment.