The Doug Leslie Bursary
The labour of love at a student newspaper provides a wealth of training and connections gained only through countless hours of volunteering, and is a necessary entry in the resumés of budding industry hopefuls.
However, the sacrifice of long unpaid hours serves as a deterrent for many looking to break into their field. To help young contributors in financial need, The Link Publication Society has decided to create a bursary in the memory of Doug Leslie, the first editor-in-chief to lead The Link.
Leslie was an English literature student who overcame financial difficulty to champion the newspaper through its teething stage as the two campus papers merged. He was coaxed into becoming the first editor; his first words in print as EIC were “Frankly, I never thought I’d be doing this.”
According to his colleagues, Leslie left behind his reservations and began a column that became “the heart and soul” of the new paper, which was beset with short staff and other organizational issues in its inaugural year. Leslie also fought to keep the paper independent of the student council.
He died in August 2012, leaving The Link as his legacy.
The award will be available to a registered, returning student who is in financial need and is a staff member (reporter, designer, photographer, artist, etc.) of The Link. Staff members are defined as those who have made four (4) contributions to the newspaper in a semester. Contributions may be rolled-over from the prior semester before the applications are due.
The deadline for submission is Friday November 22, 2013 at 4 p.m.
Applicants must include a letter explaining their level of financial need, merit and motivation for the bursary, along with three (3) clippings from The Link.
The bursary recipient(s) will be announced the third week of January.
Submissions can be sent to business@thelinknewspaper.ca.
