The Heights (newspaper)
| Type | Biweekly student newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Founder(s) | John Ring |
| Founded | 1919 |
| Headquarters |
113 McElroy Commons Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 02467 |
| Website | www.bcheights.com |
The Heights (est.1919) is the independent student newspaper of Boston College. The paper, published twice weekly during the academic year, is editorially and financially independent from the University. The paper's Editorial Board consists of 42 editors and managers who are responsible for the operations of the newspaper. Michael Sullivan is the current Editor-in-Chief.
In 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009 the paper was selected as an ACP Pacemaker Finalist. In 2011, 2012, and 2013 the paper was selected as an ACP Pacemaker Award Winner, placing The Heights among the top 50 college newspapers in the United States. In 2015, The Heights was selected as an ACP Online Pacemaker Award winner for its website, bcheights.com.
Led by John Ring, class of 1920, the first Heights debuted as a weekly newspaper on November 19, 1919 at a mere four pages, becoming the smallest college newspaper at the time. The Heights received funding from the school and ran stories about student clubs, sporting events, and lectures on campus. The first board declared The Heights a “news organ” that would live up to the “purity and ruggedness” of its name. Notably, in 1920, an editorial ran suggesting that the mascot of BC be an eagle; the Eagle remains the mascot of Boston College.
Through the early years of the ’30s and ’40s, The Heights remained focused on campus issues. During World War II, The Heights began to include editorials of greater international focus, including pieces about the draft and the war, though Boston College remained the focal point. Among other issues, The Heights wrote heavily about the need for an active student council; The Heights first petitioned in 1947, predating the current undergraduate government (UGBC) by a number of years. Before the ’50s, the buildings in the Quad had no official names. What is now Gasson was simply “the tower building,” and what are now Lyons, Devlin, and Fulton were also nameless. The Heights suggested naming the buildings after influential figures in the university's history.
Eventually, the focus of the The Heights was not limited to University issues, but also included national issues. In the 1950s, The Heights reprinted a Martin Luther King Jr. article, and in 1960, accusing the University of not honoring the rights of its black students. The Heights also became more vocal about the Vietnam War, encouraging discussion of the war and calling for an end to it through support of protest groups.
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