The Spectrum is the newspaper by, for, and about the students of Bowie State University. The mission of The Spectrum is to inform the Bowie State community, students, staff, and faculty of matters of importance to our community, to serve as an open forum for discussion by the community, and to offer students the opportunity to master the skills and refine the talents necessary for a career in journalism. The Spectrum is published every two weeks during the school year. The Spectrum is free to all members of the University community.

Responsibility for the publication of The Spectrum is delegated by the chair of the Department of Communications to faculty advisors and student editors. The Department of Communications is the publisher of The Spectrum and as such, is accountable for all Spectrum policies and procedures.

The department shall prepare specific guidelines identifying all aspects of The Spectrum editorial policy respecting the gathering, writing, illustrating, displaying, and publishing of news and advertising. The preamble to these guidelines shall be the Code of Ethics adopted in 1973 by the Society of Professional Journalists. The code focuses on the following cardinal principles: (1) journalists should be honest, fair, and courageous in reporting and interpreting information; (2) that sources and subjects are treated with sensitivity in order to minimize harm; (3) journalists should be obligated primarily to the public's right to know; and (4) journalists shall be accountable to the public.

The Spectrum is guaranteed press freedom and prior censorship will not be imposed under any condition. It is our goal that The Spectrum shall remain a forum for the free exchange of ideas and shall provide an indispensable training ground for journalism students. It must exist within an assurance against prior censorship. It must continue as a student-managed operation within the purview of the Bowie State University Department of Communications. It must retain its character and function as a free but responsible critic of the University community. It must maintain its value as an instructional resource for students in the standards and precepts of a responsible watchdog over the rights, privileges and needs of community members.

The editorial offices of The Spectrum are located in Room 272 of Martin Luther King Jr. Building, on the campus of Bowie State University.

The Spectrum staff shall exercise all of the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of a free press. At the same time, editorial freedom shall be governed by the Canons of Responsible Journalism, as established by the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE), such as the avoidance of libel, indecency, undocumented allegations, attacks on personal integrity, and the techniques of harassment and innuendo. The editors shall act without "prior restraint" in exercising the rights, privileges and responsibilities of a free press. The advisors are responsible for seeing that an accepted stylebook is followed.

Unsolicited submissions are welcome. The Spectrum editorial staff reserves the right to edit all submissions selected for publication for clarity, length, content and grammar. Submissions can be sent to the offices of The Spectrum (address below). To alert us of events of interest or for coverage by a staff writer, please contact Professor Karima Haynes (khaynes@bowiestate.edu).

For information about advertising, contact the business manager or Dr. Rex Martin (rmartin@bowiestate.edu).

Letters to the editor are welcome. Letters must include the name of the writer, along with position (for staff/faculty) and/or year (for students/alumni). The Spectrum shall print anonymous letters only at the discretion of the editors and advisors. If you are submitting a letter for publication but do not want to be identified as its author, you must include your name for verification by the editors and advisors. All such requests will be honored and held in the strictest confidence by the editors and advisors. Letters accepted for print will not be edited. Letters can be sent to the offices of The Spectrum (address below).

Faculty Advisors:

Dr. Rex A. Martin
Prof. Karima Haynes

Address all correspondence to:
The Spectrum
c/o Department of Communications
Bowie State University
14000 Jericho Park Road
Bowie, MD 20715
E-mail: thespectrum@bowiestate.edu
Phone: 301-860-3609

For the publishing schedule of The Spectrum for the current semester, please contact one of the advisors or editors. Currently, an online version of The Spectrum, hosted on an independent server, is under construction. When completed, a link to the site will be provided.