The Carillon
| Format | Broadsheet |
|---|---|
| Owner(s) | University of Regina |
| Founded | 1962 |
| Headquarters | Regina, Saskatchewan |
| OCLC number | 17513456 |
| Website | The Carillon Website |
The Carillon is the student published newspaper at the University of Regina in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. It began publication in 1962 and has a reputation for producing notable journalists. Like many university newspapers, it has had a colourful, precarious existence. Among its many alumni are Canadian broadcaster Norm Bolen and novelist Ken Mitchell.
The Carillon as a student organization has grown and evolved over the years. Before 1962 there existed a variety of campus news outlets in the form of single page letters or smaller broadsheet publications. The names of these papers include The Cricket, The Sparrow and The Forum. The name Carillon (French in origin) was selected in 1962 by a vote of the student body. It moved to change its status from a conventional "top-down" administrative structure in 1975, a shift that was formalized about 15 years later.
During the period of the 1960s The Carillon enjoyed great infamy, labeled as a "red paper" for its strong left wing editorial content. Archives reveal a paper filled with political activism and left wing rhetoric. The Carillon reflected the anti-war sentiment of many American intellectuals who left the U.S. to teach in Canada. The paper also enjoyed seemingly much more lax editorial restrictions, publishing scandalous (at the time) articles and using challenging imagery to provoke students and faculty. One (in)famous cover has the dean of education standing at a podium before a Nazi procession, with the University coat of arms replacing the swastika symbol.
A book has been written, by Prof. James Pitsula of the University of Regina, exploring the political attitudes and activism of the University's students and faculty during the 1960s through extensive research of the pages of The Carillon. He is in possession of many interesting historical documents including photos, archives and slides. The book is titled New World Dawning: The Sixties At Regina Campus.
During the 1990s The Carillon exceedingly agitated its owner, the University of Regina Students' Union . The conflict came to a head when the union's board of directors locked out staff and dismissed the Editor in Chief under dubious circumstances. This led to The Carillon seeking autonomy under the Saskatchewan Non-Profit Corporations Act. The Carillon was assisted in its autonomy efforts by the Canadian University Press of which it is a member.
Up to 2002 The Carillon was an organization that ran fast and loose under the non-profit act. Reflected in its left wing roots are the powers granted to the collective. The collective consists of all students currently registered at the University of Regina. While the collective did not direct the day-to-day operations of the newspaper it could mandate broad and sweeping changes to the constitution, bylaws, electoral practises etc. Up until 2002 the collective had the power to hire staff members of The Carillon. This created a lot of strain on the organization internally and affected the harmony of day-to-day operations. One former staff member was quoted as saying "it doesn't matter how good you are, it's a goddamn popularity contest."
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