Do you like comedy? Do you have a tail? If you answered yes to either of those questions, except the second one, you ought to consider working for The Yale Record. The Record is America’s oldest college humor magazine, not to mention the most highly-respected publication in Connecticut — actually, in the contiguous states — hell, in all of North America. I’m surprised you haven’t heard of us before now. Are you sure you like comedy?

Anyway, creative-minded folk like us often feel stifled by normal campus journalism, with its insistence on “responsible reporting,” “adherence to facts,” and “proper grammar and spelling.” At the Record, we pride ourselves on “flexibility” where factual information is concerned. Our slick magazine (slated to come out twice a semester) features all kinds of written humor, from parody news, fiction and satire to verse and single-panel comics, with illustrations for every piece. We also produce occasional side projects: parodies of other publications, posters for clubs that don’t exist, 800-page studies of provincial life in Victorian England — actually, that last one is “Middlemarch.” But it would have been much funnier if it had been written by the Record.

Our bright-eyed and eager editorial board has typically grandiose plans for the 2002-03 school year, and we’ll be looking to welcome many new staffers into our family. If you write, draw design layout (in print or on the Web), or are interested in running a magazine from the business side, find us in the fall, or visit us on the web at www.yale.edu/record. And don’t worry — no prior experience with comedy is necessary. Well, it would help if you’ve encountered comedy at some point in your life, or at least can recognize it when you see it.