Thanks to our partners at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, we are excited to announce that a new batch of student newspapers from April 1982 to March 1983 are now available online!

This group of student newspapers begins by shedding its previous title, The Carolina Journal, and reintroducing itself as The 49er Times. The new name is symbolic; the editors created a space to foster inclusivity, discourse, and news for UNC Charlotte students and faculty. While every rendition of the paper has featured an opinions section, the new 49er Times returned the “Left/Right” column from earlier editions. This piece features arguments between two editorial board members from opposing liberal and conservative political views.

These insightful and occasionally comical columns highlight the realities of college students and the pressing political issues of the early 1980s. The debates in “Left/Right” range from the rights of labor unions to prayer in public schools and the potential reelection of President Ronald Reagan in the 1984 election. These students’ succinct and powerful arguments reflect the polarizing times they lived in, with the Cold War and conservatism still present in everyday life.

“The 49er Times” embraces the free press, publishing op-eds regarding the campus bookstore policies and the fear of a nuclear war. The newspaper became a venue for critical thinking, debate, and prose for students and faculty as they grappled with changes across campus and around the world.

Visitors can view more issues of The 49er Times here.

Visitors to the site can view all of our newspaper issues from UNC Charlotte here. 

To browse our entire collection of student newspapers, select the “Student Papers” filter on our “Newspaper Titles” search page linked here.