The Oracle encourages our readers to submit letters to the editor and guest columns for publication in response to events affecting the USF community or a piece published by paper.

Letters to the editor

Letters up to 250 words can be submitted by anyone on campus, including students and faculty. Letters should be your original writing and must include your name. The Oracle does not publish anonymous letters to the editor. All letters are subject to editing for content, grammar and length. All letters are published at the discretion of The Oracle’s editorial team.

Guest columns

A guest column is an opinion essay from an outside contributor. The column should have a clear argument or thesis that is supported by specific evidence or anecdotes.

Submissions should not be any shorter than 400 words or longer than 800 words and should have a headline. If a headline is not included, the editorial team will write one that is accurate for the contents of the story.

Writers must also provide their full names and pronouns. The Oracle will not publish opinion pieces that are anonymous.

It is also encouraged that a short 1-3 sentence biography is written to be published alongside the column. This could include a student’s year and major, as well as professions and extracurricular activities.

Headshots of the writer are an optional addition, but also welcomed.

When considering a guest column, The Oracle editorial team reserves the right to deny a submission. The paper will not publish any columns with discriminatory words or statements that incite violence.

Once the editorial team decides to publish a column, an editor will contact the writer. They will communicate other guidelines or clarifications needed for publication.

Prior to publication, the article will be edited by The Oracle’s editors. It may be subject to changes for AP style, copy editing, grammar, conciseness and clarity – such as breaking up run-on sentences – but no changes will be made to affect the message of the column.

If any specific data, research or studies are cited, please make sure to include both hyperlinks and proper attributions, including the agency or body where the data was obtained from and when it was published.

An example of a correct attribution is “according to the 2023 U.S. Census Bureau.”

How to submit

All submissions must be sent to the oracleeditor@gmail.com for consideration.