The Maine Campus

Last updated
The Maine Campus Masthead.png
The Maine Campus 1A.jpg
The October 19, 2009, front page of The Maine Campus
Type Student newspaper
Editor-in-chiefCaty DuDevoir
News editorSofia Langlois
Opinion editorHaden Buzzell
Sports editorAndrew Varipatis
Photo editorOlivia Schanck
Staff writers30
Founded1875
Political alignmentNone
LanguageEnglish
Headquarters5748 Memorial Union
Orono, Maine 04469-5748
United States
Circulation 1,500
Website MaineCampus.com

The Maine Campus is a weekly newspaper produced by the students of the University of Maine in the United States. It covers university and Town of Orono events, and has four sections: News, Opinion, Culture and Sports. It serves the 20,000 students, faculty and staff of the university. Founded in 1875, it is one of the oldest surviving papers in Maine. Only The Bowdoin Orient , founded in 1871, The Bates Student , founded in 1873, and the Sun Journal , founded in 1847, are older.

Contents

Circulation and distribution

Approximately 1,500 copies of the Campus are printed every issue. In recent years, the Campus published a 20-page full color edition on Mondays and a 16-page spot color edition on Thursdays. Now, with the new broadsheet format, the paper's length varies. In addition to the new size, the paper is printed in color every issue now and, depending on its length, may be divided into separate sections.

The Campus has been online since the late 1990s. [1] On April Fool's Day the Campus runs a satirical edition named The Maine Crapus.

History and organization

The cover of an early copy of The Maine Campus from 1912 The Maine Campus 1912-10-01.png
The cover of an early copy of The Maine Campus from 1912

The Maine Campus has existed since 1875, and has at various times been a weekly, daily and semiweekly paper. The Crucible was the first student newspaper at the University of Maine, established in 1873, which was replaced by the College Reporter. [2] The Reporter became The Cadet, which was published monthly from 1855–1899. It then continued as The Campus, until changing its name to The Maine Campus on June 1, 1904. [3] By the time it became The Maine Campus, it was publishing semimonthly, [4] and by 1912 it was published weekly. [5] It became The Daily Maine Campus (Monday through Friday) in 1979 under editor Dan Warren. It remained a daily newspaper, peaking at 5,000 circulation through the 1980s, under editors Tammy Eaves, Steve McGrath, Stephen Olver and Ernie Clark. In 1990 it changed from a daily newspaper to a thrice-weekly newspaper, [6] and has since become weekly.

The Campus is a direct-funded student organization, meaning it is an independent company that receives money directly from the school and is not under the purview of student government. However, the paper has, on several occasions, required financial assistance and bailout from the student government (notably in 2002–2003). The Campus is partially funded through the communications fee, and partially through ad sales. The paper is editorially independent of the university.

The newspaper is run by the editor in chief and the business manager. The editor in chief makes all content decisions and is the public face of the newspaper, while the business manager has final say on business decisions. The paper also has a board composed of the editor in chief, news editor, Web editor, sports editor, production manager, style editor, photography editor, opinion editor, and head copy editor. Unlike many other college newspapers, the Campus does not have any non-student employees.

In fall 2009, The Maine Campus switched from tabloid format to broadsheet. In 2011, the paper began a partnership with the Bangor Daily News to provide training, web hosting and development services for the paper, as well as a content-sharing agreement aimed at promoting the best in student journalism in Maine. [7] In 2012, the paper switched from twice-weekly publication to a once-weekly Monday paper.

Notable alumni

Stephen King wrote a weekly column for the Campus in the 1970s and also published short stories such as Slade in the newspaper. According to Haunted Heart by Lisa Rogak:

After writing a few articles and essays for The Maine Campus, Steve decided to approach the editor, David Bright, about writing a weekly column. Bright gave him the go-ahead, and his first column appeared on February 20, 1969. Steve christened his column "The Garbage Truck" because, as he put it, "You never know what you're going to find in a garbage truck." [8] From the beginning, Bright liked Steve's writing, but he wasn't overly fond of the nerve-racking style in which Steve cranked out his columns. An hour before the deadline with no column in sight, Steve would show up at the paper's office. Bright, wringing his hands, would tell Steve how many column inches he needed to fill for that issue. Steve would then sit down at one of the big, hulking green typewriters in the newspaper office and bang out his copy, letter-perfect with no cross-outs, no corrections, no crumpled-up pieces of paper, and meet his deadline with moments to spare.

King's columns were often controversial and were popular in the community, even garnering the attention of then-President Winthrop Libby, but neither his columns nor his short stories have ever been republished. According to Stephen King from A to Z: [9]

('Slade') will never be issued because King considers it juvenilia and has steadfastly refused all attempts to bring it back into print, to the point of having his lawyer write a litigious letter when The Maine Campus considered reprinting it, along with King's nonfiction columns, in a book for fund-raising purposes.

Related Research Articles

The Daily Illini, commonly known as the DI, is a student-run newspaper that has been published for the community of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign since 1871. Weekday circulation during fall and spring semesters is 7,000; copies are distributed free at more than 100 locations throughout Champaign–Urbana.

<i>The Tartan</i> (Carnegie Mellon University)

The Tartan is the original student newspaper of Carnegie Mellon University. Publishing since 1906, it is one of Carnegie Mellon's largest and oldest student organizations. It currently has over 170 student members, who contribute on a weekly basis. It is funded by advertisements and the university's student activities fee.

The South End is the official student newspaper of Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, published in print and online. It was founded in 1967, and its publication is funded partly from university funds and partly from advertising revenues. It is distributed free of charge.

The Minnesota Daily is the campus newspaper of the University of Minnesota, published Monday and Thursday while school is in session, and published weekly on Wednesdays during summer sessions. Published since 1900, the paper is currently the largest student-run and student-written newspaper in the United States and the largest paper in the state of Minnesota behind the Minneapolis Star Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press. The Daily was named best daily college newspaper in the United States in 2009 and 2010 by the Society of Professional Journalists. The paper is independent from the University, but receives $500,000 worth of student service fees funding.

<i>The Michigan Daily</i> Newspaper in Ann Arbor, Michigan

The Michigan Daily, also known as 'The Daily,' is the independent student newspaper of the University of Michigan published in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Established on September 29, 1890, the newspaper is financially as well as editorially independent from the university. The Daily is managed by two editors-in-chief and a business manager who oversee a staff of over 500 undergraduate students.

The Varsity is the official student newspaper of the University of Toronto, in publication since 1880. Originally a broadsheet daily, it is now printed in compact form. The paper's primary focus is on campus affairs and local news.

<i>The Independent Florida Alligator</i> Student newspaper of the University of Florida

The Independent Florida Alligator is the daily student newspaper of the University of Florida. The Alligator is one of the largest student-run newspapers in the United States, with a circulation of 14,000 and readership of more than 21,000. It is an affiliate of UWIRE, which distributes and promotes its content to their network.

<i>Bangor Daily News</i> Newspaper serving Bangor, Maine, United States

The Bangor Daily News is an American newspaper covering a large portion of central and eastern Maine, published six days per week in Bangor, Maine.

The Daily Athenaeum is the official student newspaper at West Virginia University. Founded in 1887, the paper draws students from all disciplines to contribute original content for publication. It is editorially independent from the university, and also does not have a faculty adviser. The DA is distributed at various locations on campus, as well as around Morgantown, West Virginia, in restaurants and businesses. Content is also available online via its website. News, Sports and special features reported in the DA have regularly been picked up and covered in many national newspapers as well as network news organizations.

<i>The Brunswickan</i> Official student newspaper of the Fredericton campus of the University of New Brunswick

The Brunswickan is the official student newspaper of the Fredericton campus of the University of New Brunswick, New Brunswick, Canada. Founded in 1867, it has a circulation of 4,000 and issues are published on the first Wednesday each month, traditionally running 8 issues annually.

The Emory Wheel is the independent, student-run newspaper at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. The Wheel is published every other week on Wednesday during the regular school year, and is updated daily on its website. The sections of the Wheel include News, Opinion, Sports, Arts & Entertainment, Emory Life and Multimedia. The paper also produces The Hub, an award-winning quarterly magazine founded in 2005. Serving the Emory community since 1919, the Wheel is editorially and financially independent from the University. The staff is composed entirely of students. The Wheel offices are currently located in the Alumni Memorial University Center (AMUC).

The Daily Targum is the official student newspaper of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Founded in 1867, it is the second-oldest collegiate newspaper in the United States. The Daily Targum is student written and managed, and boasts a circulation of 5,000 in 2017. In its current form, it exists as a bi-fold tabloid-style paper featuring international, national, local, and university news, as well as editorials, columns, comics, classifieds, sports, and other amusements. In 1980, the paper achieved independence from the University, establishing a non-profit organization, the Targum Publishing Company, which now oversees all areas of the paper. The Daily Targum is published Monday through Friday while classes are in session, in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

<i>The Daily Tar Heel</i> Student newspaper of UNC-Chapel Hill

The Daily Tar Heel (DTH) is the independent student newspaper of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It was founded on February 23, 1893, and became a daily newspaper in 1929. The paper places a focus on university news and sports, but it also includes heavy coverage of Orange County and North Carolina. In 2016, the paper moved from five days a week in print to four, cutting the Tuesday edition. In 2017, the paper began to print on only Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. In 2021, the paper began to print only on Wednesdays. All editorial content is overseen by student editors and a volunteer student staff of about 230 people. It's located at 109 E. Franklin St. in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and it is the largest news organization in Orange County.

The Fourth Estate, sometimes stylized as the IV Estate or IV, is the student newspaper of George Mason University, headquartered in Fairfax County, Virginia with an independent City of Fairfax, Virginia postal address. It was known as The Gunston Ledger from 1963 to 1969 and the Broadside from 1969 until 2013 when it merged with the website Connect2Mason to form the new student run newspaper, the Fourth Estate. The newspaper is a division of GMU Student Media alongside WGMU Radio. The Fourth Estate's audience and subject matter consists of issues related to faculty, staff, students, alumni, and other affiliates of George Mason University, Northern Virginia Community College, and the broader Northern Virginia sub-region of the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area.

<i>Pipe Dream</i> (newspaper) Student newspaper of Binghamton University in Vestal, New York

Pipe Dream is the student newspaper of Binghamton University in Vestal, N.Y. Content is published online throughout the week at bupipedream.com, as well as in print every Tuesday.

<i>The McGill Daily</i>

The McGill Daily is an independent student newspaper at McGill University and is entirely run by students. Despite its name, the Daily has reduced its print publication to once a week, normally on Mondays, in addition to producing online-only content and weekly radio segments for CKUT 90.3 FM.

<i>Central Florida Future</i> İndependent weekly student newspaper of the University of Central Florida in Orlando

The Central Florida Future was the independent weekly student newspaper of the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida. The Future was one of the largest student-run newspapers in the United States, with a circulation of 14,000 and readership of over 30,000. It was a member of the USA Today network.

"Slade" is an early short story by Stephen King. In 1970, he originally published it in eight installments in the student newspaper The Maine Campus. It's a Western parody about gunslinger Jack Slade, who protects a damsel in distress against some outlaws.

<i>The Free Press</i> (University of Southern Maine)

The Free Press is the official campus newspaper of the University of Southern Maine. It was first published in 1972. It publishes a print edition weekly during the academic year, equaling roughly 22 editions a year. The newspaper has a circulation of 3,000 and prior to 2023 published daily on its website.

The Massachusetts Daily Collegian is an American daily newspaper founded in 1890, and the independently funded, student-operated newspaper of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The Collegian is a non-profit funded entirely through advertising revenue and receives no funding from the university or from student fees. In 2018, the Collegian scaled back its print edition to one issue per month, with digital-only articles continuing to be released daily.

References

  1. ↑ MaineCampus.com
  2. ↑ Wright, Debra; Bob Briggs (1999). University of Maine . Arcadia Publishing. p.  119. ISBN   9780738501758 . Retrieved 2009-08-11. The Maine Campus.
  3. ↑ Fernald, Merritt Caldwell (1916). History of the Maine state college and the University of Maine. University of Maine. p.  178 . Retrieved 2009-08-11. The Maine Campus.
  4. ↑ State of, Maine (1905). Public documents of the state of maine; being the reports of the various public officers and departments. p. 31. Retrieved 2009-08-11.
  5. ↑ "Digital archives of The Maine Campus" . Retrieved 2009-08-11.
  6. ↑ "Prism (yearbook): 1991" (PDF). Retrieved 2009-08-11.
  7. ↑ Contributed (2011-12-09). "BDN launches partnership with The Maine Campus newspaper". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 2020-08-10.
  8. ↑ Rogak, Lisa (2009). Haunted Heart: The Life and Times of Stephen King. Macmillan. pp. 47–48. ISBN   9780312377328 . Retrieved 2009-08-12.
  9. ↑ Beahm, George W. (1998). Stephen King from A to Z: an encyclopedia of his life and work . Andrews McMeel Publishing. p.  196. ISBN   978-0836269147 . Retrieved 2009-08-12. The Maine Campus.
 https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mainecampus/ Digital archives of The Maine Campus
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.