The Saint (UK newspaper)

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Issue 111 of The Saint, released March 1 2007.
Type	Fortnightly newspaper
Format	Tabloid

Owner	N/A
Editor	Andrew Keenan; Deputy: Heather Gregson
Founded	1960s; Current name dates from 1997
Political allegiance	None
Headquarters	Saint Office, St Mary's Place, St Andrews
Circulation	c. 5,000

Website: www.thesaintonline.com

The Saint is a newspaper written by students at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. It is one of only three such newspapers in the UK to enjoy complete financial and editorial independence, free from the interference of the University or Students' Association. It is published fortnightly during term time.

1 History
2 Organisation
3 Independence
4 External links

[edit] History

The Saint was originally founded in the 1960s as the Aien, a broadsheet named after the University's motto, Aien Aristeuein, Greek for 'Ever to Be the Best'; in 1984, it was renamed The Chronicle. In 1997, it was decided to rebrand the paper - by now being published in tabloid format - as The Saint.

[edit] Organisation

The Saint has no sabbatical officers or paid staff; it is run entirely by student volunteers who are simultaneously studying full-time for their degrees. Positions are filled by annual election; the executive positions such as editor, business manager and section editors are voted for by the previous year's elected staff, and the other roles such as the section subeditors and production assistants are chosen by a vote open to all University of St Andrews students. There are currently 29 elected staff members, a number which will soon grow as the online section of the newspaper develops. Additionally there are several times that amount of regular and irregular writers, who are often unelected,and a growing business and advertising team, meaning a considerable number of St Andrews students have at one time or another been involved in The Saint. Section editors hold regular meetings, which any student or staff member may attend, to commission articles for the next issue.

[edit] Independence

Many St Andrews students are unaware of The Saint's lack of connection with the Union and University.^{[citation needed]} The Saint is one of only three UK student newspapers to boast full financial and editorial independence from both the University and their Student Union. The newspaper's income does not come from a grant, but entirely from advertising and sales revenues. This enables them to print stories regarding student elections and University matters that non-independent student newspapers would be unable to run. At times, this has led to tension between the newspaper and both the Union and University. As The Saint is based within the Students' Association Building (and does not pay a commercial rate of rent for its office) its level of independence could be questioned. However, The Saint is not mentioned in any Association or Union rules and regulations and only works within the Union building as an unconnected tenant. The Saint is well-known for its criticism of many Union 'hacks' and their policies. The other UK newspapers with a similar financial and editorial position are the Cherwell of Oxford and the Varsity of Cambridge.