The Student Life

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For the student newspaper of Washington University in St. Louis, see Student Life (newspaper).
The Student Life
See caption
TSL's logo, which depicts a splash from the Bosbyshell fountain outside its office
TypeWeekly newspaper, during the academic year[1]
FormatBroadsheet
SchoolClaremont Colleges
Editor-in-chiefKayla Alcorcha[2][3]
Staff writersApprox. 120[4]
FoundedNovember 1889; 131 years ago (1889-11)[5]
LanguageEnglish
HeadquartersRoom 101, Walker Hall, Pomona College, Claremont, California
Circulation1000 print copies, plus digital readership[6]
OCLC number27659818
Websitewww.tsl.news

The Student Life (abbreviated TSL)[7] is a student newspaper covering the Claremont Colleges (7Cs, or 5Cs when referring only to the undergraduate colleges), a consortium of liberal arts colleges in Claremont, California. It is published weekly each Friday during the academic year, typically spans roughly ten pages per issue, and is primarily funded by the student governments of the colleges.[1]

The paper is the oldest college newspaper in Southern California, having been published since 1889.[5][8] It is also the largest and most widely distributed campus newspaper at the 5Cs, with a significant readership among students, staff, faculty, alumni, and members of the Claremont community.[1] It maintains a staff of around 120 students, including writers, columnists, photographers, videographers, designers, copy specialists, business associates, and editors.[2][4]

TSL operates out of Room 101 in Walker Hall on the northern portion of Pomona College's campus.[8]

History[]

See caption
Cover of TSL's first edition, 1889

TSL was founded in November 1889 (two years after the founding of Pomona College) as a four-page monthly called the Pomona Student.[9][10][11] Initially an informal bulletin for campus happenings, it adopted its current name and moved to weekly publication in 1893.[12]

By 1926, it was publishing five issues a week; many were filled largely with advertisements.[13] In 1939, this was reduced to two issues per week to save money,[14] and in 1944, these issues became only two pages long to conserve paper during World War II.[15] After the war, it gradually expanded, and in 1956, it returned to weekly publication.[16]

TSL editors, c. 1950

In 1965, it merged with other Claremont Colleges newspapers to form the Claremont Collegian, which covered all 5Cs, but it was revived two years later as a Pomona-only publication (except for a two-page weekly insert focusing on newly established Pitzer College).[17]

Like other publications, TSL developed an increasingly robust digital presence in the 2000s and 2010s.[18]

TSL used to be closely linked with the Associated Students of Pomona College, but moved to become increasingly independent.[citation needed] In 2008, it began shifting its focus to cover the entire consortium,[citation needed] and its coverage and staff makeup today reflect all 5Cs.

Sections[]

See caption
Front page of The Student Life (April 6, 2012)

TSL has four primary sections that appear in each issue: News, Life & Style, Sports, and Opinions.

The News section appears at the front of the paper, and covers a range of campus politics, issues, and current events, and often includes investigative pieces. The content specifically focuses on the 5Cs and life on campus, and does not usually include coverage of national or international stories.

The Life & Style section includes feature stories on campus life, as well as a number of weekly or bi-weekly columns. TSL is well known for its sex column, which appears regularly and is credited to an anonymous author or pseudonym.[19]

The Opinions section includes opinions pieces by columnists and guest columnists, as well as editorials. The content in this section reflects a broad range of the ideological views found at the 5Cs, which tend (with the exception of Claremont McKenna College) to lean strongly progressive compared to other college campuses.[citation needed]

The Sports section covers the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags and Athenas, as well as national sports.

Once a year, typically on the Friday nearest to April Fools' Day, TSL releases a mock edition of the newspaper with funny articles and satirical news stories.[20]

Notable coverage[]

Interior of TSL's office, featuring tables, chairs, and computers
Exterior of TSL's office in Walker Hall, a Spanish Colonial Revival-style building
TSL's office is located inside Walker Hall at Pomona College.

As the Claremont Colleges' paper of record, TSL has provided much of the original reporting for major events at the 5Cs throughout their history. In recent years, TSL's reporting has been frequently referenced by national media outlets reporting on campus controversies.[21][22][23][24][25]

In November 2015, TSL's reporting on racial tensions at Claremont McKenna College that led to the resignation of a dean of students was widely cited by national media outlets covering the episode.[26][27]

In March 2017, TSL leaked an internal Harvey Mudd College report which criticized the severe workload at the school.[28] The leak triggered widespread protests which led the college to cancel classes for two days.[29][30]

In April 2017, TSL's coverage of a blockade of a speech by conservative pundit Heather Mac Donald (as well as the sanctions subsequently imposed on some blockaders) was widely cited by national media outlets.[31][32]

TSL's coverage has sometimes drawn criticism from conservative national media outlets, many of whom are fed stories by the conservative 5C Claremont Independent publication.[33][34][35] Following the 2015 racial tensions protest, Fox News criticized TSL for providing a space specifically for students of color in an issue.[36]

Staff[]

TSL staff photo, February 23, 1925

TSL maintains a staff of around 120 students, including writers, columnists, photographers, videographers, designers, copy specialists, business associates, and editors.[2][4] The Claremont Colleges do not have a journalism major, so staff members come from a variety of academic backgrounds.[37]

The newspaper's editorial board is composed of an editor-in-chief and two managing editors.[2] All three positions have a semester term. The editor-in-chief is selected by a committee generally composed of senior staff members.[citation needed]

Many TSL alumni have gone on to have prominent journalism careers. Mary Schmich from Pomona's class of 1975, who co-edited the paper, won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for commentary for her columns in the Chicago Tribune.[38][39] Former New York Times executive editor and Pulitzer winner Bill Keller from Pomona's class of 1970 edited the Collegian when he was in college[40] and maintains close ties with TSL's current staff.[41][42]

Editors-in-chief[]

TSL's founding editor, anthropologist David P. Barrows, went on to become a two-star general in the California National Guard and president of the University of California system.[9]
Name Term College Grad. year Ref.
Kayla Alcorcha Fall 2021 Scripps 2024 [3]
Yasmin Elqutami Spring 2021 Pomona 2022 [43]
Maria Heeter Fall 2020 Scripps 2022 [44][45]
Hank Snowdon Spring 2020 CMC 2021 [46]
Meghan Bobrowsky Fall 2019 Scripps 2021 [47]
Kellen Browning Spring 2019 Pomona 2020 [48]
Ariel So Fall 2018 Scripps 2020 [49]
Meghan Joyce Spring 2018 Scripps 2020 [50]
Liam Brooks Fall 2017 Pitzer 2018 [35]
Lauren Ison Spring 2017 Pomona 2018 [51]
Alexa Strabuk Fall 2016 Pitzer 2017 [52]
Carlos Ballesteros Spring 2016 CMC 2016 [53]
Kevin Tidmarsh Fall 2015 Pomona 2016 [54]
Julia Thomas Spring 2015 Scripps 2017 [55]
Caroline Bowman Fall 2014 CMC 2014 [19]
Zoë Jameson Spring 2014 Pomona 2015
John McCumber 1967? Pomona ? [56]
Charles Jefferson Fall 1966 Pomona ? [57]
Alan Hayes 1965? Pomona ? [58]
Rob Cooley Spring 1965 Pomona ? [59]
Alice Higman Fall 1964 Pomona ? [59]
Lew Phelps Fall 1963–Spring 1964 Pomona ? [60]
Ann Walker Fall 1956–Spring 1957 Pomona 1957 [61]
Thomas E. Small Spring 1953 Pomona 1954 [62]
Elizabeth Letts Fall 1952 Pomona 1954 [62]
William E. Gould 1929? Pomona ? [63]
Kenneth Williamson 1926? Pomona ? [64]
Margaret Martin 1924? Pomona ? [65]
Paul Davis 1913? Pomona ? [66]
Philip S. Bird 1909? Pomona 1909 [67]
Robert Clogher Owens Fall 1898–Spring 1899 Pomona ? [68]
David Prescott Barrows Spring 1894 Pomona 1894 [9]
Guenevere Metkiff Fall 1893 Pomona 1894 [12]
Carl Gould 1890? Pomona ? [69]
David Prescott Barrows 1889 Pomona 1894 [9]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c "The Student Life". Engage @ Claremont. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "TSL Staff". The Student LIfe. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Bova, Mena (May 20, 2021). "Kayla Alcorcha named The Student Life's editor-in-chief for fall 2021 semester". The Student Life. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c "The Student Life". LinkedIn. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b "Finding Aid for The Student Life". Online Archive of California.
  6. ^ "The Student Life Fall 2018 Advertising Information". The Student Life. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  7. ^ "What does TSL stand for?". Acronym Finder.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b "About Us". The Student Life. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "1889". Pomona College Timeline. Pomona College. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  10. ^ Sumner, Charles Burt (1914). The Story of Pomona College. Boston: Pilgrim Press. pp. 356–358. ISBN 1-355-59904-0. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  11. ^ Lyon 1977, p. 38.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b "1893". Pomona College Timeline. Pomona College. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  13. ^ "1926". Pomona College Timeline. Pomona College. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  14. ^ "1939". Pomona College Timeline. Pomona College. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  15. ^ "1944". Pomona College Timeline. Pomona College. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  16. ^ "1956". Pomona College Timeline. Pomona College. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  17. ^ "1965". Pomona College Timeline. Pomona College. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  18. ^ Hua, Vanessa. "TSL". Pomona College Magazine (Spring 2009). Pomona College. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  19. ^ Jump up to: a b Song, Jason (November 19, 2014). "Fading elsewhere, sex columns thrive at Claremont Colleges paper". Los Angeles Times.
  20. ^ "Fall 2017 Joke Issue Insert" (PDF). The Student Life.
  21. ^ Dureya, Bill (June 6, 2004). "An education in hate". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
  22. ^ "California college students object to 'white feminist' Madeleine Albright as commencement speaker". Fox News. April 4, 2016.
  23. ^ Dean-Bailey, Yvonne. "All-women's school lets students choose between 10 different gender identities". Campus Reform. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
  24. ^ Jaschik, Scott. "Hoop Earrings and Hate". Inside Higher Ed.
  25. ^ Richman, Jackson (March 1, 2018). "Student newspaper protects anti-Israel students' identities so they won't get 'banned from entering Israel'". Washington Examiner. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  26. ^ Watanabe, Theresa; Rivera, Carla (November 13, 2015). "Amid racial bias protests, Claremont McKenna dean resigns". Los Angeles Times.
  27. ^ New, Jake. "Protests Spur Another Resignation". Inside Higher Ed.
  28. ^ Browning, Kellen; Breslow, Samuel (March 24, 2017). "Harvey Mudd Addresses Workload: Leaked Report Advocates Reform". The Student Life.
  29. ^ Baur-Wolf, Jeremy (April 18, 2017). "Ground to a Halt". Inside Higher Ed.
  30. ^ Kamenetz, Anya (August 2, 2017). "A College President On Her School's Worst Year Ever". National Public Radio.
  31. ^ Breslow, Samuel (April 7, 2017). "Students Blockade Athenaeum to Protest Conservative Speaker". The Student Life.
  32. ^ Mac Donald, Heather (April 9, 2017). "Get Up, Stand Up". City Journal.
  33. ^ Rod, Marc (April 7, 2017). "Claremont Independent Funded, Republished by National Conservative Groups". The Student Life. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
  34. ^ Editorial Board (March 9, 2017). "Do No Harm: Sensational Stories Endanger Students". The Student Life.
  35. ^ Jump up to: a b Glickman, Willa (December 7, 2017). "The Art of the Scoop: Reflections on Student Journalism". The Phoenix. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  36. ^ "California college newspaper creating 'safe space' for minority students". Fox News. November 22, 2015.
  37. ^ "Dynamic journalism duo follow each others footsteps". Claremont Courier. February 9, 2018. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  38. ^ Paine, Emma (April 27, 2012). "Pomona Alumna Wins Pulitzer for Newspaper Column". The Student Life. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  39. ^ "Pomona's Daring Minds: Mary Schmich '75 in conversation with TSL Editor-in-Chief Julia Thomas SC'16". Pomona College. YouTube. December 2, 2015. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  40. ^ Vest, Patty; Wood, Mark; Hing, Jeff (May 27, 2020). "Backstories: Bill Keller '70". Pomona College Sagecast. Pomona College. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  41. ^ Canter, Leslie (November 12, 2010). "Trustee Profile: Bill Keller, N.Y. Times Executive Editor". The Student Life. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  42. ^ The Student Life [@TSLnews] (November 14, 2018). "@billkeller2014 visited TSL's office today and spoke with staff members about his career" (Tweet). Retrieved August 26, 2020 – via Twitter.
  43. ^ Bobrowsky, Meghan (November 20, 2020). "Yasmin Elqutami named The Student Life's editor-in-chief for spring 2021 semester". The Student Life. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  44. ^ "Fall 2020 Staff". The Student Life. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  45. ^ Heeter, Maria [@HeeterMaria] (May 10, 2020). "Very excited to announce that today marks my first day as the newest editor-in-chief of @TSLnews" (Tweet). Retrieved May 11, 2020 – via Twitter.
  46. ^ "Spring 2020 staff". The Student Life. Archived from the original on April 24, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  47. ^ "Episode 1". The Weekly (Podcast). The Student Life. September 21, 2019. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  48. ^ Mitchell, Schuyler (February 13, 2019). "Meet TSL's spring 2019 editorial board". The Student Life. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  49. ^ "Staff". The Student Life. Archived from the original on November 28, 2018. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  50. ^ "Spring 2018 Staff". The Student Life. Archived from the original on April 18, 2018. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  51. ^ "Staff". The Student Life. Archived from the original on March 25, 2017. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  52. ^ "Staff". The Student Life. Archived from the original on November 21, 2016. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  53. ^ "Staff". The Student Life. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  54. ^ "Staff". The Student Life. Archived from the original on October 22, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  55. ^ Fu, Julianne. "News Above the Fold: This Semester 'The Student Life' Named First Scripps College Student Editor-in-Chief". Scripps College. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
  56. ^ Henderson 1967, p. 41.
  57. ^ Henderson 1967, p. 40.
  58. ^ Henderson 1967, p. 37.
  59. ^ Jump up to: a b Henderson 1967, p. 36.
  60. ^ Henderson 1967, p. 34.
  61. ^ "Fallbrook Girl Editor of College Newspaper". Times-Advocate. May 15, 1956. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  62. ^ Jump up to: a b "Denverite Follows Denverite in Post". Progress-Bulletin. February 5, 1953. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  63. ^ Henderson 1967, p. 26.
  64. ^ Henderson 1967, p. 21.
  65. ^ Henderson 1967, p. 19.
  66. ^ "Officers Chosen by the Student College Ass'n". The Pomona Progress. May 17, 1913. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  67. ^ Lyon 1977, p. 111.
  68. ^ Henderson 1967, p. 9.
  69. ^ Henderson 1967, p. 8.

Bibliography[]

External links[]

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