Wartburg College Archives: Student Publications

Wartburg College Archives

Finding Aid

Special Collections – Publications –  Student Publications

Preface

The Wartburg College Archives is responsible for the collection and preservation of records that document the college’s history, development, operation, policies, people, activities, and events.

The Archives is committed to providing access to holdings. However, access to some items may be restricted by their fragile condition or by contractual agreement with the donors, and it may not be possible at all times to provide appropriate machinery for reading, viewing or accessing non-print materials. In such circumstances arrangements may have to be made for digital duplication or transfer to occur before access can be provided.

Introduction

Abstract:  This collection includes fifteen separate, short-lived, student publications. These publications include, The Axe, The Bathroom Press, The Bugle, The Knightsheet, Mad Pad Review, Nexus, Pahlas, Rise Up, Spotlight, Up Tight, Vive La Causa, Wartburg Bugle, Wartville Post, The Scorpion, and The Trumpet. Each separate publication will be considered a separate series within the collection.

Scope and Content Note

Extent: This collection consists of fifteen series, in thirty-three folders, in three boxes.

Physical Description: This collection has many different formats, but they are all printed words on paper. Some of the multi-page issues have lost staples and there are some that are worn with slight tearing.

Dates: c.1949-2014

Subjects: Most of the publications cover different happening both social concerns and physical activities on campus. There are also some literary publications in this collection. They are all independent student publications.

Related Material:

• The Wartburg Trumpet

Administrative Information

Restrictions: No restrictions

Preferred Citation: [item title/description], [date]; Miscellaneous Student Publications; Wartburg College Archives, Waverly, Iowa.

Acquisition Information: Unknown.

Processing Information: Processing completed by WM on 5/11/2017.

History

• The Axe- was a publication from c. 1966. The Axe was a satiric, anti-religious, and anti-authority publication that presumably consisted of about five issues, however, the archives only has four of those issues. The editors of The Axe were Ron Hall and Steve Jaco.

• The Bathroom Press- was a publication from 1986-1988 and consists of two volumes. The first volume had three issues and the second volume had five. The Bathroom Press wanted to promote the free flow of student ideas and to act as a platform for student conversation. This publication was edited anonymously and asked submitters to “ask around” to find out who/where they should turn in their work.

• The Bugle- was a publication that ranged from 2004, 2009, and 2010. The Bugle was founded in 2004 and was, “committed to providing its readers with fair and balanced coverage of the most important events ever” (V.1, no. 1). In other words, it was a satiric response to the student newspaper, The Trumpet. It is hard to know how many volumes The Bugle consisted of because the volume and issue numbers appear to be made up after publication of the first volume. For example the archives has Volume 1, no. 1, 2 and Volume 2, no. 1. However, discrepancies begin to occur Volume 3, as the only copy the archives has is no. 53. Furthermore, the final issue the archives has is the first one from Volume 28. Considering The Bugle is a student publication, it is unlikely that they printed 53 issues in their third Volume, and it seems unlikely that they published 25 volumes in a year. Instead, this improper numbering is probably an aspect of the publication’s satire. Because of this intentional misdirection, it is unknown how many issues and volumes were published, and if there were any gaps within publication.

• The Knightsheet: Sophomore Class Newsletter- was a publication c. 1961 and acted as a student newsletter for the Wartburg sophomore class. The archives only has copies Volume 2, no. 1, 3 which were published in 1962. Presumably there were more issues published previously, however, it is unknown how long the publication continued. It is also unknown if the newsletter followed the class. For instance, if volume one was the first year class newsletter and the third volume would’ve been the junior’s class newsletter, or if The Knightsheet remained as the annual newsletter for the sophomore class. Michael Becker was the editor for the two issues in the archives.

• Mad Pad Review- was a publication from 1960. The archives only has the first issue, Volume 1, no. 1 from April 9, 1960. The Mad Pad Review appears to be a student newsletter that specializes in advertising on and off-campus activities. This publication is unique in that it uses a great deal of slang from the period.

• Nexus- was a publication from 1979 that captures the artistic writings of the 1978-1979 school year. The archives has only one copy of Nexus and it is without any volume or issue numbering. It consists of prose and poetry that was submitted and ranked by three judges; Ken Craven, Sam Michaelson, and Ken Weitz. Nexus was edited by Nanette Droste.

• Pahlas- was a publication from 1955-1956. It consists of three issues in one volume. The Pahlas, which is said to be the Hebrew word meaning, “to ponder, to take heed to, or to weigh both sides of a question” (V. 1, no. 1), was meant to act as a literary magazine where students, “can express their ideas and opinions, and where they also can hear the views of others” (V.1, no. 1). In this sense, it is akin to other student publications like, The Bathroom Press and The Scorpion. However, the Pahlas was seemingly the first of its kind at Wartburg, as it is the oldest student publication in the archives. The editor of the Pahlas was David Bunge.

• Rise Up- was a publication in 1995. The archives only has the first issue, aptly named the, “Inaugural Edition”, published in April 1995. It was edited by Paul Van Auken and Wendy Wiegmann and is presumably the only issue. Rise Up was the 1990’s iteration of publications like the Pahlas, The Bathroom Press, and The Scorpion, as it too wanted to act as an, “outlet for creative expression and free speech” (front cover), in order to stimulate discussion. Rise Up could be considered more radical than previous publications, and it focused more on certain cultural aspects of society, rather than institutional problems. For instance, the publication had inflammatory editorials on the apathetic attitudes of students, as well as, articles confronting sexism on campus. Rise Up was unique in the sense that its articles were more of a self-critique of the students and the campus culture, whereas, many other revolutionary-radical publications critiqued staff, faculty, and the Wartburg institution as a whole.

• Spotlight: The Entertainment Beat- was a publication in 1983. It was an entertainment newsmagazine that aspired to be, “the premier” of its kind in Iowa (v. 1, no. 1). The archives has two copies of Spotlight, the first two issues of the first volume. Therefore, they are presumably the only issues published. Its main focus was on the national music industry, however, it did cover other forms of entertainment, including film and television. It was intended to be published bi-weekly, however there is a month gap between the first two issues. Spotlight was edited by Christie Leo.

• Up Tight- was a publication c. 1967. It was a literary magazine specializing in prose and poetry. There were presumably multiple issues published, however, the archives only has Volume 2, no. 1 from September 1967. It was a monthly publication that was edited by J. Michael Rudy.

• Vive La Causa- was a publication c. 1972. It is unclear whether Vive La Causa consisted of multiple different issues and volumes, or if it was a single pamphlet that was distributed. It extensively covered the plight of seasonal farm laborers, and the organizational work and boycotts of Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers Organization Committee. It is also unclear if Vive La Causa was organized and published by Wartburg Students, or if they were assisted by local representatives as questions and information can be sent to both a Wartburg P.O. box and an address in Waterloo, as well as, a church in Des Moines, suggesting the students were part of a larger affiliate.

• Wartburg Bugle- was a publication from 1950-1961, with a 50^th anniversary edition in 2001. Including the anniversary edition the Wartburg Bugle had thirteen volumes, however, the archives only has volumes 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, and the 50^th anniversary edition. A quick disclaimer, the Wartburg Bugle should not be confused with The Bugle. There was no affiliation between the two and older Wartburg Bugle had no influence or impact on the later The Bugle. The Wartburg Bugle was an annual publication in May that was printed to assist in Senior Day. It was published by Alpha Phi Gamma, the Journalism honors program, in order to promote the journalism major to upcoming first-years. The name ‘bugle’ was adopted, because a shorted trumpet is called a bugle. Therefore, this shortened publication of The Trumpet was appropriately named, the Wartburg Bugle. This publication included the Senior Day program and articles about the day’s events. The Special 50^th Anniversary Edition includes inserts from previous Alpha Phi Gamma members and an article on the class of 1951. It was published October 20, 2001.

• Wartville Post- was a publication c. 1986. The Wartville Post was a monthly newsletter for Clinton Hall residents that included a get-to-know-you section and notes from hall meetings. It did not include a numbering system and therefore it cannot be ascertained whether or not the four issues in the archives are the only issues published. The Wartville Post was edited by Rich Gordon for the 1986-1987 school year.

• The Scorpion- was arguably the most successful student publication and began in 1962, running until 1964. Volume 1 consisted of three issues, volume 2 had nine, and volume three had one. The Scorpion was a newsletter composed as an open letter to students that wanted to challenge traditional norms, ideas, and policies at Wartburg. It looked to challenge students to think, and challenge faculty and administration to adjust to their students. Submission was open to all students and a diversity of opinion was encouraged. Interestingly enough, although it acted as a revolutionary portal for students to apply criticism, it still maintained an aspect of conservatism. For instance, on how religion should be taught in the school. This matter evolved into the publications most noteworthy conflict. The friction began in Volume 2 no. 8 published May 29, 1963, presumably what was planned to be the final issue for the year.  This issue contained two articles critiquing the religion department for the way the professors taught the religion classes. Apparently, many students lost their faith or faltered in their beliefs due to the pedagogy of the professors. As many students came from more conservative Christian backgrounds, they were surprised when their professors taught the fallibility of the bible. Many students apparently did not appreciate learning about the bibles contradictions and these newfound troubles lead them away from their faith, criticize their professor’s all-the-while. There was an immediate backlash at these accusations, so-much-so that The Scorpion decided to print another issue the very next day, attempting to apologize for any confusion and clarifying the points they had made the previous day. Although it cannot truly be known, the response by both the readers and the publication suggest that The Scorpion enjoyed a large reader-base on campus, at least during the 1962-1963 school year. This argument is bolstered by the number of issues published. The Scorpion was apparently published on an “as-needed” basis. Therefore, as the publication printed thirteen issues, it was presumably well-received and popular among students.

• The Wartburg Trumpet- was a publication from c. 1935-present. Issues continue to be published throughout the academic year. The Wartburg Trumpet is a student run newspaper that provides information for the Wartburg College campus. The Trumpet covers topics such as news, sports, opinions, features, and other information.

Series Description

• Student Publications

Student Publications:

• Various student publications dating from the mid-1900s to about 2010.
• 3 boxes.
• Arranged by title and then chronologically by date published.

Container Listing

Other Finding Aids

None.

See Also:

• Wartburg Trumpet

• Catalog Record