Dear Readers,

We realize this issue of “The Budget” could be deemed our most racy issue thus far. In our first column, we explained that we do not intend to be “controversial.” Our goal is to write about what our readers — the students — care about.

In this issue, we covered a range of topics including religion, drugs, virginity and sexuality.

The story, “Twitter parallels debate in KS Legislature,” touched on the topics of sexuality and religion. We decided to cover this Twitter fight because although seemingly outdated, the argument over same-sex relationships continues across the country. As we learned more about the recent Kansas House bill, we wanted a discussion of our own to happen at LHS.

Though we were thankful that the bill did not become law in Kansas, we were disappointed that a similar bill passed in Arizona before being rejected by that state’s governor. Like the Kansas bill, it would have allowed businesses to deny services to gay and lesbian customers based on religious beliefs. Although in liberal Lawrence, most individuals would view this bill as preposterous, there are still local advocates for a bill like this.

As mentioned in “Drugs directly affect audiences at concerts,” our generation seems to need substances to enjoy otherwise fun experiences. It’s gotten to a point where some can’t even attend school without being under some kind of influence. Although we’re not surprised that some of our peers are seeking additional “help” in enjoying their lives, we are disappointed to see this change.

One of the toughest subjects to discuss was tackled by one of our opinion writers in “Virginity isn’t a state of body.” Even as we walk through the hallways of LHS we hear about the sexual exploits of strangers that weekend. Because the average age to lose your virginity is 17, we’re not surprised to hear this topic frequently discussed by our peers. However, we want to end the stigma attached to the concept of “virginity.”

As illustrated in the story, “Sexting victim says stop it with the pics,” a staff member was victimized when his phone number was scrawled across the walls of a local coffee shop. In the piece, we made the decision to reference the explicit words written next to his phone number to paint a true picture of his experience. Though it might have seemed like a harmless prank to the culprit, it has legal implications due to the fact that the staff member is a minor.

As stories are pitched each issue, we try to pick ideas that aren’t just racy but important to our generation’s societal development. We ultimately hope that our newspaper launches a discussion among our classmates.

Sincerely,

Ashley Hocking and Kendra Schwartz