We, the founders of CAVEAT EMPTOR, feel that the Manchester College student needs a vehicle in which he can express his feelings, a publication where he can be controversial, where he can ask questions and raise issues which for multiple reasons would not otherwise be aired or considered by the community.
The leaders of this community have long encouraged its subordinates to express themselves openly and without fear of reprimand, but we feel there are silent forces at work to minimize this effort. There is hardly a student, perhaps none, who feels he can adequately communicate his feelings to an administrator, particularly in a personal interview; tension, uncertainty, and fear of ostracism confuse his effort. Most students never do more than think about these problems, but we feel the fact that he never voices his feeling does not detract from the validity of his claim.
We wish to serve as the vehicle that presents and communicates to the community these problems. Our purpose is therefore not to judge but to present. The student, it is said, always has a complaint. Of whatever nature it may be, whether it deals with pots and pans or personalities, it deserves, in our judgment, to be seen by the community, encountered by the community, and at least in part, judged by the community.
Insofar as is possible, therefore, we will publish any material submitted on any subject that pertains to the life of the community, the nation, international affairs, the academic situation, the human condition, etc. We will tune a special ear toward critical opinion, satire, and matters of keen reflection--essentially, therefore, toward controversy.
...We do not wish to supplant any prior publication, organization, or function. We do not want to compete with OAK LEAVES for news or features or announcements. We have no desire to compete with SPECTRUM for literary material. And we do not wish to detract from discussion or presentation of problems...
...We invite any person to submit any ideas, any topic he wishes to see discussed. Members of the staff will be available in person around campus, or through the campus mail. These types of suggestions may be anonymous. No anonymous written material can be published in this publication, however...
...Administrative and faculty acceptance is another concern of ours. We are inviting them to participate in our endeavor as a special part of the community. We feel they may be able to speak specifically to student problems and questions, and that they as members of the community have equal rights to represent questions and problems that concern them. We feel there is a real advantage to be gained by letting this portion of the community air its views.
