What’s in a name: how the East Tennessean came to be

ETSU students have been writing and reporting to keep students informed for 100 years now, but the school newspaper was not always the East Tennessean. 

ETSU began teaching students in the fall of 1911 and students began the newspaper by 1923. Starting as a teacher’s college with no journalism program the name “The Chalk Line” was chosen and run by about six student members. The Chalk Line focused on social events and the lives of students more than the news. 

“It was unbelievably different than what you would see in a newspaper today. It seemed to be a lot more satire based, a lot of the articles were written in a joking manner, it was just a style that you wouldn’t see today,” said Don Armstrong, adviser to the East Tennessean.

In 1938, the title changed to “The Collegian” during this time of the paper the members wrote editorials that criticized the administration. They ran polls and surveys to gather student input and critiques of the campus. The paper was published continually every year aside from the years 1942 to 1944 due to World War II.

In the early 1970s, the name was changed once again to the “Pirate Press.” The Pirate Press was more news based and worked with local publications. It was a large paper with up to 28 pages printed every Friday. With students now able to study journalism the paper became more of a serious publication. However, the name the Pirate Press was never officially approved, and the name soon changed in 1973 to the East Tennessean. 

This year not only marks 100 years of the East Tennessean but also marks 50 years of it being called the East Tennessean. The paper has come a long way from just six members to now around 50. It is run like a professional paper and gives students experience in real reporting. 

“It’s kind of kept the same mission from the beginning, the way it’s gone about it has changed a little, but it seems like it always had a mission of keeping the campus and keeping students informed about what’s going on on campus,” said Armstrong. 

Despite the name of the paper, its focus has always been students. The paper was started by students and continues to be run by students today. Focusing on life on campus and keeping students up to date on news, issues and events continues to be the goal.