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p>Late in the fall semester of each year, Sun staff members are offered the opportunity to compete for a spot on the next editorial board of The Sun, either as one of The Sun’s editors or as a Sun manager working in the business department.
After the sign-ups are collected at the end of the semester, The Sun takes a break from publication while the university recesses for the winter break. When students return in January, the formal training process for potential editors and managers known as the “compet” process begins.
As one can infer, the word “compet” comes from the word “compete” — and for the next six weeks, that’s exactly what potential Sun editors and managers will do. Editors and managers will rotate through a variety of positions here at the paper, learning the proverbial ins and outs of the business.
At times, compet is terrifically demanding of both the trainees who are vying for a spot on the next editorial board and of those veteran editors and managers who are busy training a new crop of Sun leaders.
For the duration of the compet process, editors-in-training will receive credit for their hard work on page 4 of our print edition, under a heading that (appropriately) reads “Today’s Editors-in-Training.”
The Sun’s elections take place in March, after a full six weeks of late nights and long hours. Following the elections, readers will see new names on the Sun’s mast, and those past editors who have served their time will, once again, become avid readers and dedicated staff members of the paper.
Compet is a process that has served the paper well for decades, allowing us to simultaneously build upon the knowledge and experience of our outgoing editors while utilizing the enthusiasm and ingenuity of our up-and-coming successors.
Archived article by Sun Staff