You know what they say about people who assume.

If you don’t know, have you been living under a rock?

Just break up the first three letters, the fourth letter and the last two letters into three separate words.

Or just Google it. You do you.

According to the journal that I started mentally 21 years ago, 400 percent of ill-founded assumptions are super frustrating. That’s a cold hard fact I will take to the grave with me.

The reason why assumptions are the worst is because they often don’t involve logic and reasoning.

I fully support any effort to stand up for what you believe is right. I’m here for factually-based, accurate efforts to make a point.

Research is important. There is a difference between defending opinions and arguing for the sake of arguing.

Since I started my time at The Murray State News, I have been around the block. I’ve been a sales representative, copy editor, Advertising Sales Manager and now Opinion Editor.

I’ve seen and experienced emotionally-based assumptions thrown at us at all fronts.

For instance, there has been some confusion about how much The News values student participation and input.

We are a student-run, student-produced, student-oriented publication. This newspaper is solely produced by and for students – end of story.

We not only accept feedback and participation – we crave it. We encourage it.

Nothing sets our hearts aflutter more than hearing someone say something along the lines of, “Did you see that article in the paper this week?”

We love seeing the comment thread grow on Facebook and the mentions add up in our Twitter feed. We love putting out surveys and polls and getting your input.

While the editors and staff of The News love all these things and encourage the participation, we cannot force it.

We represent and write for the students, but we cannot make people write letters to the editor, take our surveys and let us know what they think.

That being said, the contributions we do get from students are highly valued and taken seriously.

If we ask for student opinions, every response counts – whether that number be 5, 1,000 or 11,000.

Careful thought and consideration goes into every single aspect of all weekly issues and special sections we publish. For anyone to think differently is concerning.

If you want your voice heard, we will hear it.

If you agree or disagree with how we do, write or illustrate something, let us know.

If you have a story idea or if you notice something going on at Murray State we haven’t noticed, enlighten us.

If we get something wrong or if we have misrepresented you, let us know and we will be the first to admit and correct it.

The students are what’s most important to us.

Get involved. Connect with us. Give us your feedback and know your input means something.

Column by Allison Borthwick, Advertising Sales Manager