Wednesday, September 19, 2001

Skiff staff pledges to carry on strong tradition of campus service

Welcome to the 100th year of Skiff coverage. The staff is proud to recognize this milestone in our newspaper’s history.

Throughout the years, the Skiff staff has worked to improve the look, readability and prestige of the newspaper. Our staff is no different.

The first change you may not have not noticed is the revised motto under the newspaper’s masthead: “Now in its 100th year of serving TCU.” Other changes will be implemented in the future to benefit our readers.

The newspaper has come a long way since Sept. 19, 1902. For starters, the look has progressed immensely throughout the last 99 years. Technology has allowed for major improvements in photography, design and graphics.

Also, news coverage has become more broad-based as the Skiff joined wire services such as U-Wire, an exchange among collegiate papers, and The Associated Press, an international news organization.

While names of administrators have changed and campus organizations have come and gone, the goal of Skiffers has remained the same: to provide accurate, balanced coverage of issues and events affecting the campus and community.

Throughout the coming year, the Skiff will publish excerpts from past articles and reprint impacting front pages. Former editors, who are now in the professional ranks, will share their experiences as Skiffers and as TCU students.

The anniversary coverage is not just to celebrate the Skiff. This coming-of-age for the newspaper is an opportunity to explore and celebrate the history of the university, including the hardships and transitions TCU made during the Great Depression, the impact of two world wars, the university’s move toward racial desegregation, the end of the Cold War and the leap into an age based on technology.

Archives are available for viewing in the special collections department in Mary Couts Burnett Library or in the Skiff newsroom.

The celebration of our anniversary should not be limited members of the Skiff staff.

You, the readers, should be commended for allowing us the opportunity to serve the TCU community. Without a supportive readership, this newspaper could not have accomplished 100 years of coverage.

The readers have allowed Skiff editors and writers to fulfill a dream — a dream to make a difference. For many staff members, the dream that started here has become a reality in the professional realm.

This anniversary is more than just a nostalgic feeling for us. It is also a realization that everything starts with you — the readers. Thank you.

As it has done for the past 99 years, the Skiff will continue its tradition of service to the TCU community well into the next 100 years.