Wagner College’s student newspaper, The Wagnerian, turned 80 years old on November 8, 2014. From political movements to campus tragedies, The Wagnerian has been through it all, giving students the opportunity to voice their thoughts and report the news.
This year, the venerable journal even received its first accolade from the Princeton Review, earning a top-20 college newspaper listing.
To celebrate the anniversary, editors rummaged through the archives to create an issue highlighting The Wagnerian over the decades.
Working through the 1950s issues, Sports Editor Grace Zhang ’15 pointed out the cigarette ads, gossip columns, and the dean’s list, which are no longer Wagnerian fare.
“I want to run stories that will stand the test of time, as the cliché goes.”
Co-Editor Erik Parshall ’15 drew attention to how The Wagnerian took stances on major political issues over the years, such as racial justice in the 1960s and the Watergate scandal in the 1970s.
Throughout Wagnerian history, the campus has been the biggest topic of all, with perennial coverage focusing on issues with the College administration, food in the dining hall, and campus life policies.
“What separates The Wagnerian from other news is that we talk about Wagner, which is more relevant to students. Students are excited to see their names in the paper and are excited to know that somebody’s listening,” Co-Editor Audriana Mekula ’14 explained.
Parshall said that looking through old issues inspired him to feature more stories on major social and political issues.
“There was more open conversation back then,” he noted. “In one issue, a pregnant girl wrote about her experiences being pregnant on campus and how it affected her mental state. I think that’s fantastic.
“I want to run stories that will stand the test of time, as the cliché goes,” he added. — Arijeta Lajka ’16, Wagnerian contributor
