By Rachel Zarrell

You have a strong opinion on something. I know you do. I’ve seen it on The News’ message boards throughout the course of the year, when readers have chimed in on topics ranging from energy renewal fees, sushi dates and man-leggings. Many of you give intelligent replies to our articles; your opinions are calculated, fact-based and confident. Some of you are not quite as broad in your vocabulary, but you make up for it with your biting wit and (frequently accidental) absurdity.

But you write in. And you do it for one main reason: You want – no, you need – your opinion to be heard. It’s not good enough for you to vent to your roommates. You need a broader audience, one large enough and capable of forming a rally for your cause. But where could you possibly find such an outlet?

And that leads us to where we are now. You, the reader, are scanning this All Hail quizzically. Or maybe I’m underestimating you and you already know the answer. Once a week, The News publishes an All Hail from one of our readers. All Hails are for people who want to vent, blame, commend or suggest anything relating to Northeastern. This is my first year at the The News, but yesterday was my third time having the editorial editor beg me to write a last-minute All Hail for the page.

You may remember my fall complaint about my sexually charged roommate, or even my slightly flawed letter about the Jena 6 around the same time. I’ve had other opportunities between then and now, but I’ve always felt like the All Hail should be reserved for those with a real need to speak out. And what baffles me is how there are comments piling up on the articles on our website and yet still, at least once a month, the editorial editor is left scrambling around for any rant long enough to make do for that week’s spot.

Five-hundred-fifty words. That is more than enough for you to say anything you want. And it could belong to you for an entire week, if you wanted it, or it could go to that ignorant person refuting you on the message boards. Thousands of students attend our school; if even a fraction of them read the editorial page you are guaranteed to reach out to a few of them.

Hate the scheduling on myNEU? Want to give the Student Government Association a piece of your mind? Have your heart set on potentially ruining your relationship with your roommate for weeks to come? Get onto your computer, open up a blank Word document and do a huge favor to everyone who is thinking the same thing as you but is too afraid to take the extra leap and write something down.

Unfortunately, if you’re nodding your head, thinking you’ve got a good idea, I’ve got some bad news: This is the last All Hail for the academic year (there aren’t All Hails in our summer issues). So you’ve got four months to fill up with rage, wait and stew.

Keep this in mind: Come next fall, when you feel the need to vent, The News will be here for you.

– Rachel Zarrell is a freshman journalism major and member of The News staff.