565 issues of newspapers produced by students of Chowan University (formerly Chowan College) can now be searched and browsed on DigitalNC. Ranging in date from 1923 to 1945, the Chowan University Student Newspaper collection includes five different titles, some of which ran concurrently:
- The Chowanian
- The Daily Chowanian
- Chowan Opener
- Smoke Signals
- Chowan Today
Along with 65 editions of The Chowanoka (Chowan’s yearbook) and 118 course catalogs already available on DigitalNC, these student newspapers contribute to a rich picture of life at a small college in North Carolina from the perspective of both students and administration.
Chowan’s current Department of Graphic Communications has a long history at the university, and the strength of this curriculum is reflected in the quality of both design and content of different newspaper titles over the years.
From the late 1950s through the early 1970s The Chowanian used a magazine-style layout with covers that capture its period’s graphic design zeitgeist.
A later title, Smoke Signals, used a more traditional newspaper layout that also produced visually interesting front pages.
If any Chowan alums are reading this post, leave a comment! We’d love to hear from you about your involvement with Chowan’s long tradition of student-produced newspapers.
