Photo by Pam Tolson
The Falcon Forum today officially launched a hard-copy edition, reviving a publication that goes back to least the 1960s but has not been active since 2005. The newspaper rolled off the presses this morning and was introduced to students in a short ceremony in the cafeteria at noon attended by Interim Pres. Everett B. Ward, Vice President of Marketing and Communications Shelley Willingham-Hinton, members of the journalism faculty and student editors of the newspaper.
Dr. Ward, as well as J. Peder Zane, chairman of the Journalism and Mass Communications Faculty, urged students to read the newspaper, submit story ideas and to consider it a source of pride for the university. St. Augustine’s University has traditionally had a student newspaper. State archives contain St. Augustine’s student newspapers from the early 1960s; at that time, it was known as The Pen. The school’s student newspaper was revived as the Falcon Forum in 2004, however that publication did not last long; the Falcon Forum was discontinued in 2005 due to cost and other factors. Two years ago, the publication was revived as an online-only publication.
Dr. Ward asked students and faculty in the JMC Department to revive the hard-copy edition after taking office last year. “In the tradition of the North Star newspaper published by Frederick Douglass, I encourage you to use the Falcon Forum as a vehicle to enlighten and stimulate minds,” the president said in a message launching the newspaper.
The Falcon Forum is scheduled to publish monthly on the first of the month. The student editors are Clayshawn Moore, News editor; Shavona Hill, opinion editor; Christian Roberson, entertainment editor; Jordan Baber, sports editor; and Ja’Quan Leary, photographer.
For more information or to submit a story idea, send an email to falconforum13@gmail.com
— Falcon Forum staff
