The Tufts Observer
The Tufts Observer, founded as the Tufts Weekly, is an undergraduate student newsmagazine published at Tufts University. First published in 1895 Tufts' first student newspaper, the Observer is the oldest student publication on campus. The Tufts Weekly was renamed the Tufts Observer in 1969. Observer staff currently work out of the Media Advocacy Board Lab, located on the second floor of Curtis Hall on College Avenue.
Format
The publication is a tri-weekly, 32-page full-color magazine that is divided into seven sections: Feature, News, Opinions, Arts & Culture, Campus, Voices, and Poetry & Prose. The rotating editorial board chooses a theme for every issue, and every semester, the magazine devotes itself entirely to poetry and prose pieces with its "Creative" and "Literary" issues. These special editions feature student-written short stories and poems set against striking photography, original artworks, and graphic design.History
The Observer was founded in 1895 as the Tufts Weekly and would later bill itself as Tufts' "newspaper of record." Early issues prominently featured sports scores as well as campus news. The first issue was dated Tuesday, October 8, 1895, and was eight pages long. This issue contained an editorial titled "The New Departure" which stated, "With this number we begin the work of Tufts' first weekly. We realize the uncertainty of our position, the importance of the work, and the many difficulties attending it; but, believing that such a sheet is needed in our college, we step forth boldly, asking the attention and consideration of all connected with Tufts College in any capacity whatever."The Weekly did not officially change its name to "The Tufts Observer" until the late 1960s, under the management of Editor-in-Chief Glenn Durfee, to reflect the paper's publication schedule. The paper also began to occasionally publish more than weekly because of major news events on campus. In the fall of 1969 the Observer, under Editor-in-Chief Phil Primack, was sometimes published as often as four times a week. In 2001, the editorial board of the Observer voted to adopt the newsmagazine format that the publication exists in today.