Story by Opinion Editor Zoebelle Bean
Think of a newspaper. Any newspaper. What do you think of: the automatic schema that comes to mind? Is it black and white, and read all over? Is it thin-papered, large, printed, and filled with pages of text that fall out of each other as soon as you turn a page? Maybe the newspaper you may have had thrown at your front door when you were younger? Old, antique, yet strangely authentic, this schematic “newspaper” that falls into our mind is the stereotypical paper that our parents, and their parents before them, and their parents before even them, enjoyed whenever a new story was issued. And this same newspaper was what The Saint used to look like before it went fully digital in 2018 due to printing issues.
While the new look of The Saint, a small pamphlet with an artistic rendition on the front cover, written in bold colors and text, is catchy and perhaps more personable, this pamphlet is often overlooked.
According to Senior Drew Huegli, “I would prefer a traditional newspaper. This one is too small, and I don’t think students know where to find them a lot of the time.”
Even though every issue of these pamphlets is distributed at every major building (The Moose, the campus library, and the academic building), students don’t know that they can take them. Often, they end up in old piles on countertops and floors. It’s wasteful and there’s a better way to distribute our news, especially when it pertains to the lives of students on campus. If the newspaper wants to cater to its audience, they need to consider what’s most compelling and interesting.
In the opinion of Freshman Ava Koester, “The Saint is a newspaper – something professional, not this thing. I don’t even know what this is supposed to be.”
The newspaper needs to reclaim its former glory. It has diminished significantly over the years, and even went through a period where it was online-only. If the campus wants to continue having a newspaper, everyone who reads and writes The Saint needs to rethink its impact on the community.
Do you have strong feelings one way or the other? Let us know! Your perspective is what makes us who we are. Contact The Saint directly via email at thesaint@aquinas.edu or give your written submissions to our office dropbox, located outside of The Corner. We want to hear what you have to say, and you might even receive a response from an editor!
Image courtesy of Brittanica
The Saint 