Cooper Point Journal

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: A-1973-01

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The newspaper's goal was to provide an open space for students to express themselves to the rest of the community, but also to report relevant and interesting community and international news to the Evergreen community.

The newspaper has covered many large events that have happened at The Evergreen State College. In recent years, the newspaper has covered a professor that embezzled money from students; the Dead Prez riot, when student flipped a police patrol car after the arrest of a black community member; the Students for a Democratic Society's sit-in of the Vice President of Student Affairs office after the group was temporarily disbanded by administration; and a labor strike by student support staff employees for a living wage increase and better benefits.

Most students who have worked for the Cooper Point Journal have typically been volunteers. Sometimes, they've been compensated with a small education stipend. Occasionally, a student will be on the CPJ staff for an Independant Learning Contract, and would then receive college credits instead of the stipend.

Dates

Creation: 1971 - 2014

Restrictions on Access

Collection is open to the public.

Restrictions on Use

Duplication of archival materials in no way transfers either copyright or property right, nor does it constitute permission to publish in excess of "fair use" or to display the materials.

Historical Note

In 1971, the newspaper was first called the Weakly Drag, and was changed to The Paper. The name of the newspaper changed again to The Cooper Point Journal in the last months of 1973.

The newspaper traditionally styled itself after a typical newspaper format (black and white, bi-fold, headline), and ran weekly. In 2010-2011, the newspaper only printed issues for the fall and spring quarter. It appears that the Editor in Chief resigned in the middle of the year, and the newspaper took a break during winter quarter to resituate itself as an organization.

In 2011, newspaper staff decided to move all of its presence and content online. At that point, the paper's readership became nearly non-existant, and could no longer attract advertisers to pay for ad space. It was decided in 2012 that the paper needed a revival of the print edition. The print edition became tabloid styled, with color on the front, back, and middle spread. The newspaper currently runs every two weeks (bi-monthly).

The newspaper has historical issues with mis-labeling papers. Sometimes the volume number would change in the middle of the school year, or there would be duplicate issue numbers on trwo different prints. Since the newspaper was weekly, sometimes the most accurate way to chronologically read through the newspaper is by paying attention to the published dates, which tend to be more accurate than the volume or issue number.

Extent

9 Cubic Feet (4 2.5" Letter document cases 18 5" Letter document cases 1 box containing microfilm of the contents of the other boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Summary

The Cooper Point Journal is the student newspaper at the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. The newspaper started in 1971 publishing weekly (with gaps for holidays and quarter breaks) until recently (2014 when it became a digital publication only) and continues to run as a bi-monthly journal.

Arrangement

The collection is organized chronologically and divided into several boxes by publication year, which followed the school year. Inside the boxes, folders divide the newspapers into academic quarters (fall, winter, and spring). A single edition representing one or in some cases multiple academic years is held in each box. Within the boxes the order is reverse chronological, with the most recent issue appearing at the front.

Other Finding Aids

A more comprehensive finding aid is currently (2017) in development and should be accrued to this finding aid when the grant funding making the project possible is complete in August of 2017.