So what is the University Journal, anyway?

If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you picked up this magazine from a stand or shelf somewhere on the campus of Southern Utah University. For years, the University Journal has been a source of news for the SUU community — but where did it all begin?

SUU’s student-run media began before the school was even called SUU. The original student newspaper, labeled “The Student,’’ was written and produced in the 1920s by the college yearbook staff. Back then, SUU was the Branch Agricultural College, or BAC. The acronym prompted the newspaper’s second name in the 1940s: “The Bacian.” When the school became the College of Southern Utah and adopted a new mascot, the newspaper renamed itself to “The Thunderbird.”

Finally, in 1992, the school was granted university status and officially became Southern Utah University, and the University Journal was born. The then newspaper was printed every Monday and Thursday of the academic year.

“This is a paper for everyone at SUU,” wrote Vale White, the University Journal’s editor back in 2006. “Although we welcome input and opinion from the community, this is an SUU newspaper first. Your voice is encouraged and welcome here.”

Then, on Sept. 6, 2017, SUUNews.net was launched. The world was moving online, so the University Journal followed. Beginning that school year, daily stories were posted online and shared to social media, and the University Journal transitioned to a monthly magazine rather than a newspaper.

Today, the University Journal is a printed publication written, edited and designed entirely by undergraduate students at SUU News twice per semester. The student journalists still write and publish digital articles on the SUU News website, but University Journal stories are longer and focus on specific students, faculty or organizations at SUU. Reporters have also covered more heavy-hitting topics such as sexual assault, student wage rates and Cedar City’s housing crisis.

“At SUU News and the University Journal, we expect all to approach the duties of this trust with fervor,” says the SUU News mission statement. “We expect all to carry forth the banner of truth and the willingness to let all the people know it. While doing so, we expect the staff to seek excellence at all times: excellence in writing, in design, in photography, in reporting truth.”

- Written by Aspen English