The Towerlight

Infobox Student Newspaper
colour = #d9d9ff
name = "The Towerlight"

caption =
school = Towson University
slogan = "Baltimore's #1 college paper"
nickname =
type = College newspaper
editor = Kiel McLaughlin
advisor =
location = Towson, Maryland
foundation =
firstname = "The Oriole"
othernames =
aprilfools =
owners = Baltimore Student Media, Inc.
frequency = Twice-weekly
price =
circulation =
format = Broadsheet
printer =
awards =
address = Towson University
University Union, 309
8000 York Rd.
Towson MD, 21252
website = [http://www.thetowerlight.com www.thetowerlight.com]

"The Towerlight" is the award-winning twice-weekly independent student newspaper at Towson University. It is run by Towson students, and frequently updates the campus on events and news and publishes twice a week.

History

According to the first issue of "The Oriole", the very first newspapers were published in 1921 with no names, in order to advertise the school and increase enrollment. There were only two issues published in 1921, and the first monthly publication was created in January 1922.

Also in the first issue, then principal Lida Lee Tall, wrote that the purpose of the newspaper was:

*To give the students a medium for telling their life and their ideals to all groups of interested students in the state.
*To give the school its opportunity to place its stamp upon education.
*To give the state an opportunity to know what one of its normal schools is doing and aiming to do.
*To send a message out into the schools of other states.

The original name ("The Oriole") was a suggestion from one of the seniors at the time, Ellen Hutchinson. There were a pool of names suggested, and the students voted unanimously for the name.

taff

Notable Editions

*On April 17, 2007, one day after the Virginia Tech massacre, the staff at "The Towerlight" decided to make a special edition of the paper that recorded the reactions and sentiment towards what happened at Virginia Tech.

*On April 9, 2002, the "Towerlight" staff -- then run by Editor-in-Chief Jennifer Hykes -- put out a special edition covering the controversial resignation of the University's 11th President, Dr. Mark L. Perkins. The issue, entitled "Promise Unfulfilled: Perkins Resigns," covered student, staff and faculty reactions, the historic events that led to Perkins' eventual resignation, as well as all of the highlights of Perkins' tumultuous run as president. The issue was recognized with a Region Two Mark of Excellence Award from the Society of Professional Journalists.

Recognition

The Society of Professional Journalists named "The Towerlight" No. 1 in its region and No. 2 nationally in the category "Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper Newspaper" at its annual conference in Houston in 2002. [cite web |url=http://www.spj.org/moe02r2.asp |title=2002 Mark of Excellence Region 2 Winners/Finalists |accessdate=2007-11-30 |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=Society of Professional Journalists |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ]

Notable Alumni

*Brian Stelter- "New York Times" reporter. He served as "The Towerlight"'s editor-in-chief from 2005 to 2007.

References