We highlight student voices like yours every day in our opinion section. Please send us your pitches through the Opinion Submission Form.
Opinions Policy
Article content
The Ubyssey accepts opinion articles on any topic related to the University of British Columbia (UBC). Submissions must be written by UBC students, professors, alumni or those in a suitable position (as determined by the opinion editor) to speak on UBC-related matters.
Submissions must not contain racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, harassment or discrimination and must follow The Ubyssey’s Respectful Environment Policy. Authors and/or submissions will not be precluded from publication based solely on association with particular ideologies or subject matter that some may find objectionable. Approval for publication is, however, dependent on the quality of the argument and The Ubyssey editorial board’s judgment of appropriate content. The Ubyssey reserves the right to edit submissions for length and clarity.
Submitting an opinion piece
Articles typically run from 300 to 800 words, but submissions of any length will be considered. The opinion editor will provide guidance and feedback to the writer, but completed submissions are preferred. Submissions may be sent by email to opinion@ubyssey.ca. Please include your student number or other proof of identification.
Unfortunately, we cannot reply to all submissions — if you do not hear from us within one week, please assume that we will not be able to publish your article.
Anonymity
Anonymous submissions will be accepted on extremely rare occasions. The Ubyssey may consider granting anonymity in instances that include but are not limited to where the opinions expressed in a letter could compromise the safety of a writer. Requests for anonymity will be granted upon agreement from four fifths of the editorial board.
Retracting submissions
If you wish to retract your submission please inform the opinion editor before it is published and it will not be.
Requests for unpublishing
Requests to unpublish an opinion article will rarely be accepted. Refer to The Ubyssey’s forthcoming Unpublishing Policy for more information on when we do and do not unpublish articles.
Elections content
In general, The Ubyssey will not accept opinion letters from Alma Mater Society (AMS) candidates during the election period that could influence the elections. Should any member of the AMS submit a letter to the editor, they must follow the Opinions Policy that is currently in place. The opinion editor will decide whether or not the submitted letter is publishable based on relevance, timeliness and coherency of the argument outside of the campaigning and election period.
Examples of opinion pieces which, in general, will not be considered for publication:
- A candidate submits a letter about why they are entering or leaving a race
- A candidate submits a letter promoting their platform
- A candidate submits a letter explaining why they said or did something during the elections period
- A candidate submits a letter (dis)endorsing a referendum question