Student Life (newspaper)
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Student Life is the independent student-run newspaper of Washington University in St. Louis. It was founded in 1878 and incorporated in 1999. It is published by the Washington University Student Media, Inc. and is not subject to the approval of the University administration.[1] Student Life comes out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and it publishes special orientation and commencement issues, as well as an April Fool's Day issue called Student Libel and an issue centered around sex for Valentine's Day. "StudLife" as it is nicknamed to by students won a National Pacemaker Award in 2005 as one of the best college newspapers in the country.
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[edit] Sections
[edit] News
News is the largest section in Student Life, appearing in each issue. This section reports on events pertaining to the Wash. U. community, St. Louis news, and national news. When the second of the 2004 Presidential Debates was held at Wash. U., News broke many stories that were later reported on by national news outlets, and photographs taken by Student Life news photographers were used in national newspapers.
News has often been criticized for taking an anti-Greek Life slant, having reported scandals involving the Sigma Chi fraternity and Alpha Phi sorority in recent years, but rarely, critics say, reporting on the philanthropic activities of many of Wash. U.'s fraternities and sororities.
[edit] Forum
Forum also appears in each issue and consists of columns written by the regular Forum editors and staff columnists. Contributors are also accepted from the University community. Forum also publishes a staff editorial written by the newspaper's Editorial Board. The Editorial Board is led by the Senior Forum Editor, and it consists of the Forum Editors, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Editor(s), Managing Editor(s) and Senior Photo Editor. Letters to the Editor and Editorial Cartoons also are published in Forum.
Forum has had a tradition of setting off controversy in the University community. In the 2005-2006 school year, a column exposing a homophobic essay published on a University professor's website set off a campus-wide debate on the merits of academic freedom. However, Forum has also been criticized for dealing with more trivial issues, like the sex lives of columnists and the propensity of Wash. U. girls to wear Uggs. Forum has also been accused of having an anti-Greek Life slant too, as well as being against Student Union, the student government of Wash. U.
[edit] Sports
Sports is the only other section to appear in each issue of Student Life. While smaller than News and Forum in past years, Sports has grown under its new senior editor, Andrei Berman and writers Arden Farhi, Trisha Wolff, Unaiz Akbani, Jeff Lesser, Carrie Jarka, Scott Kaufman-Ross.
[edit] Cadenza
Cadenza is Student Life's arts and entertainment section. It is featured on the back page of Student Life once a week, and on alternating weeks it appears once a week, alternating with Scene. Cadenza features music, movie, theatre, book and video game reviews, as well as columns from the Cadenza staff and regular comic strips, such as the popular All Real Numbers (before the graduation of the cartoonist). Cadenza also profiles art events in the Wash. U. community, such as performers at the Gargoyle, a concert venue on the Wash. U. campus. Cadenza was previously a separate entity from Student Life, but it was incorporated into the paper in 2003.
[edit] Scene
Scene is the highly regarded lifestyles section in Student Life. It is featured on the back page of Student Life once a week, and every other Friday, focusing on campus trends and the activities of students and faculty. Scene covers a broad range of topics while always adding a personal spin and making the story relevant to readers. Scene's regular features include a romance column, restaurant reviews and the newly added Health Beat.
[edit] Photography
The photography in Student Life is probably one of the strongest aspects of the paper. The award-winning photographers often pursue unusual sources for their photos, including climbing on top of campus buildings and chasing after fire trucks. The section occasionally publishes photo essays ranging in topic from engineering antics to profiles of homeless people. Student Life is a breeding ground for future photojournalists; the staff photographers have gone on to work for newspapers around the globe.
[edit] Other features
Student Life also includes a crossword puzzle, sudoku, and classified ads in each issue, and Pulse (a guide to weekend events) once a week.
[edit] Famous alumni
Famous Student Life alumni include Newsweek reporter Michael Isikoff and former Boston Globe National Editor Ken Cooper.[2]
