Over the past four years as a student at The College of Wooster, I have been able to contribute to a unique documentation of Wooster’s history by working for The Wooster Voice. If you pick up a copy of the Voice in Lowry or Old Main, you will notice that its masthead reads, “A Student Publication Since 1883.”† For over a hundred years, student journalists have provided the campus with the news, and our archived issues provide insight into significant moments in Wooster’s history from students’ perspectives.
If you are lucky enough to visit the Voice office, located in the catacombs of Lowry, you will notice a rich history of student journalism.† Although the carpet may be frayed, the couches and chairs worn out and the walls in desperate need of fresh paint, the Voice office is a well-preserved site begging for an archaeological eye, or a senior in search of an Independent Study project.
The filing cabinets in the back corner contain archived issues of the Voice that remind me that my contributions to the weekly publication will one day preserve Wooster’s history.† Looking through the archived issues that date back decades, the striking changes in the style and layout of the newspaper is most noticeable.† Even during my tenure at the Voice the paper has changed drastically in many positive ways.† By changing printers in 2009, the Voice is now entirely printed in color.† Just this year the staff bought InDesign, a layout and design program, that has brought our layout process into the 21st century.
Looking around the room where our staff spends hours each week producing the paper, there are countless photos of the Voice staff from the sixties and seventies, the iconic clothing styles of each decade most noticeable in the black and white photos.† There is also a framed black and white photo of John F. Kennedy, and not one current member of staff knows where it came from.
The sheer fact that such artifacts have survived and still hang in the office reminds me that as a first-year stepping into the office for the first time I inherited a responsibility to the College and the legacy of Wooster alumni.† Perhaps even more important to me is to acknowledge that my relationships with members of the Voice staff that began as friendly co-workers in my first-year have become some of the most important in my college experience, and perhaps our photos will still hang on the walls decades from now.
Over the past four years, I have been proud to document important events at Wooster that will become embedded in the College’s history, such as Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to the College in 2008 or this year’s men’s basketball team’s run to the national championship.† As I leave Wooster a week from now, I know I will still get a rush of excitement to keep up with Wooster news when The Wooster Voice is delivered to my doorstep each week.