This academic year at UT Martin, the Office of Student Publications is celebrating the 95th anniversary of student journalism.
Through hard work and three name changes, The Pacer student newspaper staff is sharing its history of being the independent voice of UT Martin, as well as showing its appreciation for the support that has made the newspaper succeed for so long.
When the university began as UT Junior College in 1927, a group of students who called themselves The Checkers decided to try to print a newspaper. The first efforts were called The Checkerboard and were printed in spring 1928. After that first year, the newspaper’s name was changed to The Volette, and remained that way for more than 40 years.
In 1971, the decision to change names once more was made, as The Pacer became the official title of the student newspaper at UT Martin. Since its origin, there have been about 3,000 print issues, with 1,219 issues collected in a public archive for anyone wanting to take a trip down memory lane.
To kick off this yearlong special anniversary, Student Publications will be giving out T-shirts, copies of the latest newspaper and other groovy swag on Oct. 1 during the Quad City event, starting at 10:30 a.m. Members of The Pacer staff will be present to answer any questions and provide insight on what they do, how they do it and ways interested students can contribute.
There will also be a drawing held for a chance to win gift cards to local restaurants in Martin, so stop by during Quad City to celebrate the 2022-23 academic year as being the 95th consecutive year of journalism at UTM.
