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Daily: The New Publications Plan

The Minnesota Daily Masthead Page Header Panel 7

Publications section page from The Gopher student yearbook, Volume 38

Publications section page from The Gopher student yearbook, Volume 38

The 1920s ushered in a series of major changes in the management of student publications at the University of Minnesota. Three key developments that influenced these changes included: creation of a Board of Control of Student Publications, consolidation of the Official Daily Bulletin with The Minnesota Daily, and the establishment of a “blanket tax” incorporated into the student registration fee to support University-wide services.

Since the Official Daily Bulletin was introduced in the fall of 1918, interest in submitting notices to the publication had grown to a point of nuisance, as deemed by University faculty and administrators. In 1921, the Administrative Committee of the University Senate voted to prohibit the publication of student notices.

In response to this action, in the September 28, 1921, issue of the Daily, editors introduced the “Official Student Bulletin" to serve as a “campus bulletin board” for student announcements.

Notice clipping, Official Daily Bulletin, February 4, 1921

Notice clipping, Official Daily Bulletin, February 4, 1921

Section clipping, "Official Student Bulletin," Volume 1, Number 1, The Minnesota Daily, September 28, 1921

Section clipping, "Official Student Bulletin," Volume 1, Number 1, The Minnesota Daily, September 28, 1921

Editorial Clipping, "The Two Bulletins," The Minnesota Daily, February 16, 1922

Editorial Clipping, "The Two Bulletins," The Minnesota Daily, February 16, 1922

Article Clipping, "Plan Will Eliminate Campaigns," The Minnesota Daily, April 25, 1922

Article Clipping, "Plan Will Eliminate Campaigns," The Minnesota Daily, April 25, 1922

An editorial titled “The Two Bulletins,” published in the February 16, 1922, issue, explained the confusion that resulted from the publication of notices in two different “official” sources.

In April 1922, the All-University Council proposed the formation of a Board of Student Publications to provide oversight over the operations of the Daily, The Gopher yearbook, and Ski-U-Mah humor magazine. The impetus for this action was to coordinate publishing efforts, create financial stability, recruit experienced candidates for managerial positions, and remove politics from the election process.

The full text of the board constitution was published in the April 25, 1922, issue of the Daily in advance of the all-campus election on April 28, 1922.

On election day, the new publications plan, set to go into effect in the spring of 1923, was adopted by the student body by a vote of 2,090 to 420. “LANDSLIDE FOR NEW PUBLICATIONS PLAN,” was the headline that ran across the front page of the Daily the following day.