Starting next fall, a new student publication plans to make its opinions known. The journal, entitled Other Voices, will be a magazine of critical inquiry, said publication founder and College junior Vance Bell. He added that Other Voices will provide a forum for students to express their thoughts on contemporary issues. He said that since the publication is a journal, short papers, long papers and even an honors thesis will be possible entries into the journal. "The current student magazines at the University are literary magazines," Bell said. "There are no strong intellectual magazines, with the exception of the Penn History Review." Bell added the journal would be similar to such publications as October and Teslos. He said topics in the journal will range from contemporary and campus issues to comparative literature. Bell said inspiration for this new foray into literature partially came from the Philomathean Society, which tried a similar publication in the late 60's, early 70's. "A main goal of the journal is to be interdisciplinary," added Bell. "It will be an alternative to the one-dimensionality common in political and literary publications, and the superficiality of the op-ed newspaper piece." Bell hopes to get partial Student Activities Council funding for the project. Other financing will come from other outside sources. "SAC funding might be a problem," said Bell. "Because we're late and the deadline has passed, we are applying for what is known as contingency funding." Bell hopes to get about three issues of the the journal published next year with the first installment coming in the fall. Recently information about "Other Voices" has appeared on Pennnet. Bell has suggested essay topics such as "Emancipatory Visions: The Cultural Politics of Malcolm X" and "In the Shadow of Aaron Spelling: The Construction of the Young American in 90210." Bell says responses to the idea of the journal have been mixed. "Some people are psyched about it," said Bell. "Others feel up in the air about it."
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