As a parent of a student at NU, I enjoy receiving this publication online. I can read about issues that the college’s brochures often gloss over.

However, as a contributor to my daughter’s education, I’m dismayed by the newspaper’s abysmal writing and editing quality. I have seen better work in high school newspapers.

NU is spending wads of money on CNN.com banners and slick marketing materials while its best marketing opportunity is right under its nose.

If NU really wants to join the ranks of the top 100 universities, it should hire a few full-time professionals — including at least one topnotch copy editor — to get these student writers on track — not to dictate content, but to help students shape it into a more polished, professional product. Students can (and should) be taught the fundamentals of good reporting, writing and editing — as part of the educational process that publishing always is — without losing control of content.

A school like NU, with its well-promoted journalism or communications program, should strive for a paper that rivals the best of them, such as the Cornell Daily Sun — if not in frequency, at least in quality.

I don’t wish to discourage any of the students on the newspaper staff. I’m a former reporter and editor (I now write technical news for an online publication); I know how much goes into publishing, and I’m sure they work hard at it. They simply need committed, supportive, professional editorial guidance.