Descriptive Summary
Student Newspapers Collection.1931-2002
RG 5.15.1
The language of the materials is English
26 linear feet (17 boxes)
Western Connecticut State University
Western Connecticut State University
Ruth A. Haas Library
The collection includes newspapers published by student through the history of Western Connecticut State University and its institutional antecedents.
Provenance
Ongoing transfer to the University Archives.
Access Restrictions
Open for research without restrictions.
Use Restrictions
Permission to publish materials must be obtained in writing from the:
Ruth A. Haas Library
Special Collections and Archives
181 White Street
Danbury, CT 06810
Phone: 203-837-8992
Fax: 203-837-9108
E-mail: stevensb@wcsu.edu
Preferred Citation
Published citations should take the following form:
Identification of item, date (if known); The Student Newspapers Collection: student publications of the Danbury Normal School, Danbury Teachers College, Danbury State Teachers College, Western Connecticut State College and Western Connecticut State University.; RG 5.15.1; box number; folder number;
Western Connecticut State University Archives
Historical/Biographical Note
The Western Connecticut State University (WCSU) student newspaper went through several incarnations before it became
The Echo in 1955.
The oldest surviving student "newspaper" dates from October 16, 1931. However, the masthead indicates that this was the first issue of the eighth volume of
Dee N Ess (phonetic spelling for "DNS" -Danbury Normal School) and was a mimeographed publication more akin to a newsletter. It may be that the first issues were published in the early 1920s. The publication contained campus news, student writings (essays and poetry primarily), comics, and artwork. In 1936, the Danbury Normal School became the Danbury Teachers' College. The newspaper reflected the changes taking place at the school by changing its name in the fall of 1936. Dee Tee Cee continued Dee N Ess. In 1941, the name changed again to Campus Crier. The Archives does not have any copies of newspapers from 1942 through the spring of 1944. This may be due to the fact that student organizations curtailed their activities during the war years. In March of 1944, the student newspaper reemerged, this time under the name: The Inkling. The Inkling took on a more professional look, was typeset and contained photographs.
In 1948 when the college adopted a new constitution and emerged as the Danbury State Teachers' College, the student paper repositioned itself again as
The Courier. This was another step toward becoming a more professional publication and, for a while, it even adopted the more traditional newspaper-style tabloid format. However, The Courier evolved into a more literary publication and in the spring of 1953 a group of students started publishing a second newspaper, The Supplement . It operated as a more informal but carried on with more student-newspaper-like content than The Courier.
In 1955
The Supplement took on a new and enduring moniker: The Echo. From November 23, 1955 to the present, this has been the primary student newspaper for the university.
Scope and Content Note
Of interest is the final May 1936 issue of
Dee N Ess that contains a foreword written by the school's president, Ralph C. Jenkins, entitled "What's In a Name?" In the piece, President Jenkins discussed the meaning of the word "normal" in the school's title and its implications for the school's mission. It was at this time that the school's name changed to Danbury Teachers' College. The newspaper reflected the changes taking place at the school by changing its name in the fall of 1936.
Volume and issue numbering is inconsistent throughout the first twenty-year-run of the newspapers. Volume numbers stop and start at random and the number of a particular issue is sometimes duplicated or left off all together.
As of the first publication of
The Echo in 1955, issue and volume numbering is normalized, and the Archives holds a complete set. Issues after 2002 have not been processed but the Archives holds copies.
Arrangement
Folders are chronologically within each subject/author heading.
The files are grouped into 1 series.
- Inventory
Access Points
Subject Names:
Jenkins, Ralph C.
Subject Organizations:
Danbury Normal School -- History.
Danbury Teachers College -- History.
Danbury State Tearchers College -- History.
Western Connecticut State College -- History.
Western Connecticut State University -- History.
Subject Topics:
Universities and Colleges.
Teachers colleges.
College students.
Universities and colleges--United States--Newspapers--History.
Subject Places:
Danbury (Conn.)
Document Types:
Publications.
Newsletters.
Newspapers.
Container List
[The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.]
Inventory
1
Dee N Ess, October 1931 through May 1936
1931-1936
1
Dee Tee Cee , September 1936 through May 1938
1936-1938
2
Dee Tee Cee , November 1938 through May 1941
1938-1941
2
Campus Crier, October 1941 through November 1942
1941-1942
2
The Inkling, March 1944 through June 1947
1944-1947
2
What's My Name "I'm your paper; name me," November 1947
1947
4
The Courier, February 1948 through June 1954
1948-1954
2
The Supplement, April 1953 through November 1955
1953-1955
2
The Echo, November 1955 through June 1959
1955-1959
3
The Echo, October 1959 through November 1963
1959-1963
4
The Echo, January 1964 through December 1968
1964-1968
5
The Echo, January 1969 through December 1972
1969-1972
6
The Echo, January 1973 through December 1975
1973-1975
7
The Echo, January 1976 through December 1978
1976-1978
8
The Echo, February 1979 through December 1981
1979-1981
9
The Echo, January 1982 through December 1984
1982-1984
10
The Echo, February 1985 through December 1987
1985-1987
11
The Echo, January 1988 through December 1989
1988-1989
12
The Echo, January 1990 through December 1992
1990-1992
13
The Echo, January 1993 through December 1994
1993-1994
14
The Echo, January 1995 through December 1996
1995-1996
15
The Echo, January 1997 through December 1998
1997-1998
16
The Echo, January 1999 through December 2000
1999-2000
17
The Echo, January 2001 through December 2002
2001-2002