Submission Policy

Letter to the Editor Policy

The Rock magazine encourages letters and comments from readers on the magazine’s content. Letters may be edited for length, clarity, and civility and must be relevant to The Rock’s editorial coverage. Letters should respond directly to an article, column, editorial, or other The Rock content that has been published within the preceding ninety (90) days. Letters can be authored by more than one person. We are not able to publish and respond to all correspondence received.

To submit a letter to the editor, please email us at therock@whittier.edu. If the editor deems your letter eligible for publication, you will be contacted prior to your letter being published in The Rock magazine. Letters to the editor are published online through the digital magazine portal. Letters may also be published in a print edition of The Rock.

Additional guidelines: 

  • Letters to the editor should be 400 words or less. Letters that are longer than 400 words may be considered on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the editor. 
  • The Rock staff reserve the right to edit letters to the editor for clarity, editorial style, and word count, and to fact-check the letters as appropriate.
  • Editors ask that letters be respectful, civil, and that they do not harass, attack, or be threatening to any person or group. Letters that use abusive language, profanity, or that otherwise contain objectionable content, as determined by Whittier College at its sole discretion, will not be published and you will not be notified of such determination. 
  • Content that is libelous, defamatory, or otherwise is in violation of state or federal laws, is strictly prohibited.
  • All letters must include contact information for the author and any co-authors, including a valid email address or phone number, name of the author and any co-authors, and the author and co-authors’ class year(s). Only the author and co-authors’ names and class year(s) will be published along with the letter to the editor. Email addresses and phone numbers will not be published, but will be used to contact the author and co-authors if needed.
  • The submission of a letter to the editor does not guarantee its publication. Generally, only one letter to the editor is published in The Rock by the same author in a given calendar year.
  • Letters to the editor represent the individual views of the authors. They do not reflect the views of Whittier College, The Rock magazine, or its staff.
  • Whittier College and The Rock magazine staff reserve the right to republish or edit content mailed and/or emailed to The Rock. 
  • All final decisions regarding the publication of content in The Rock magazine are at the sole discretion of Whittier College and the staff of The Rock magazine and are subject to change without notice.

Class Notes Policy

Class notes are published online through Whittier College’s website and in the digital The Rock magazine portal. Class notes may also be published in a print edition of The Rock. The purpose of class notes is to share news about the personal and professional accomplishments of Whittier College alumni and to foster connections between the College and its alumni. Submissions will be included at the discretion of The Rock magazine editors and in accordance with space limitations and other considerations. Class notes are not a forum for editorial commentary on topics not related to Whittier College or for personal opinions about College actions, policies, or other matters deemed inappropriate for such a forum.

Class notes can be submitted via email to therock@whittier.edu and through the online form link via the magazine’s online portal and the Whittier College alumni website. The Office of Marketing and Communications reserves the right to edit all class note submissions to ensure they are in compliance with editorial guidelines and are free of factual, grammatical, and other errors. 

Class notes submissions may include announcements about births and adoptions, marriages, family news, educational achievements, honors and awards, publications or exhibitions, volunteer commitments, personal accomplishments (e.g. sports races, hobbies, travels), and career changes, promotions, or retirements.  

Class notes submissions may NOT include the following:

  • Advertisements or product endorsements, including information that could lead to a sales contact. 
  • Descriptions of products, services, and companies that are not factual. Adjectives and qualifying remarks are to be avoided. 
  • Political campaign information and endorsements. It is permissible to mention generally that an alumna/us is running for office and to include link to their official bio. It is not permissible to add qualifying remarks or otherwise provide your subjective opinion of their candidacy.
  • Political opinions or commentary of any kind.
  • Solicitations and fundraising information for non-Whittier College entities.

Guest Column Policy

Guest columns are usually longer than a letter to the editor (700-800 words) and can cover any topic – usually associated to a current event. Topics should also be relevant to The Rock’s audience. Columns are edited and fact-checked more thoroughly. Unsolicited guest columns are not accepted. There should be no expectation that a particular guest column will be published even if it was solicited by the editor of The Rock or other The Rock staff. Submission of a guest column for The Rock does not guarantee its publication. The Letter to the Editor policy is incorporated into the Guest Column policy as if fully stated herein. 

Copyright Notice

By submitting a letter to the editor, guest column, class notes, or other content (the “Work”), you agree that you and any co-authors of the Work are the exclusive owner(s) and holder(s) of the copyright in the Work. You and the co-authors agree to provide Whittier College and its affiliates with a perpetual, royalty-free license to the Work for publication in The Rock magazine, both digitally and in print form, and to otherwise use the Work in any manner deemed appropriate by Whittier College and its affiliates. Publication of the Work is subject to this copyright notice the acceptance of which is a non-waivable condition of such publication.