Style Goes to College

My first big editorial project as the new managing editor of VCU's student newspaper (a long, long time ago) was to pull together the back-to-school issue that would guide new freshmen through the confusing streets of Richmond to discover the tarnished joys of a then-thriving (and moderately alternative) rock-and-roll street culture. Style Weekly does the same thing each year with their college style -- not available online, and sporadically available on the streets. (Look for the small, soft-yellow booklet at grocery stores and coffee shops near VCU and UR.)

You know that a good college guide would be thick with tips that kids need to navigate the brave new world -- specifically, where to get cheap beer, cheap dates, cheap eats and a cheap bail bondsman. Style doesn't deliver the goods in those categories, but it does provide a quick 'n' easy snapshot of music, art, dining and buying and fashion outlets around town. Unfortunately, it only provides half of what Style does best -- going heavy on the directory side of the equation. What impressionable kids need is a true guide to Richmond -- which bands to hear, what clothes to wear, what foods to eat. Fortunately, the newsprint version of Style provides some degree of direction in those areas every week.