The Hoya

The Hoya

Georgetown University's oldest newspaper.
Type	Twice-weekly newspaper
Editor-in-chief	Toby Hung
Staff writers	200
Founded	1920
Headquarters	Georgetown University
Circulation	5,000
Website	www.thehoya.com

The Hoya, founded in 1920, is the oldest and largest student newspaper of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., serving as the university’s newspaper of record. The Hoya is a twice-weekly, student-run paper that prints every Tuesday and Friday and online regularly throughout the year, with a print circulation of 5,000 during the academic year. The newspaper has four main editorial sections: News, Opinion, Sports and The Guide, a weekly arts and lifestyle magazine. It also publishes several annual special issues including a New Student Guide, a basketball preview and biannual food and fashion issues.

Although The Hoya is not financially independent from the university, it is produced, managed and edited entirely by students. Over 200 students are involved in the publication of the paper.

The first issue of The Hoya was published on January 14, 1920, under the editorship of Joseph R. Mickler, Jr. Student journalism at Georgetown can be traced as far back as 1824 and the appearance of a hand-copied publication titled Minerva. The Hoya, however, was distinguished from previous student publications by its intent to be a comprehensive university newspaper. The publication took its name from the phrase “Hoya Saxa,” which had been adopted as a common chant at Georgetown sports events in the 1890s. The popularity of the term spread as local newspapers often cited The Hoya, and "Hoya" began to be widely applied to campus organizations and to athletic groups themselves.

Beginning in the 1940s, the publication shifted its main coverage from athletic to campus events. Weathering the Great Depression, World War II, student unrest in the 1960s and funding cuts in the 1970s, The Hoya has appeared almost continuously since its founding, providing a student perspective on issues and events.

In its early years, The Hoya published once a week, focused mainly on internal, campus affairs, promoting student organizations and school functions, and devoted a large part of its coverage to sports. In 1930, The Hoya received the highest rating given to a college weekly publication by the National Collegiate Press Association.

In the late 1930s, international events began to influence content. The Hoya was one of the few student groups to remain active during the war years, and its pages at this time juxtapose coverage of blood drives, war bond programs and alumni casualties with details of tea dances and intramural athletics.