Paul Furiga's rapport with The Miami Student began the first day of the fall 1976 semester. Walking into the newsroom, Furiga was equipped with his Canon FTb camera and a notepad. With an excess of photographers, Furiga was asked to try his hand at writing.

"One thing led to another," Furiga said, "and I was features editor sophomore year, managing editor junior year and editor (in chief) my senior year."

Jim Gardner's time at The Student was a bit more serendipitous. Gardner said he wandered into the office in the spring of 1978, "just seeking something to do."

For Sue MacDonald, a love of journalism was a gradual revelation. A "fledgling" reporter as a first-year Miami University student in 1973, MacDonald began as an education major, aspiring to teach German to high school students. Shortly after, MacDonald realized her true interest in journalism.

"I had one of those 'What was I thinking?' moments," MacDonald said. "From the first moment I walked into (The Miami Student office) I knew I really liked the place."

Like MacDonald, many of the past Miami Student staff share similar memories of fondness, motivation and purpose.

Terence Moore, Student staff from 1974-78, said his time with the newspaper was time-consuming yet worthwhile.

"It was a full-time job, but it was an enjoyable full-time job," Moore said. "It was like a fraternity."

MacDonald said her loyalty to The Student often trumped her coursework.

"I went to college on the side," MacDonald said.

Allison Kolodziej, a 2006 graduate said her best memories include the relationships forged with fellow staff members.

"My fondest memories were the late production night in MacMillan Hall with The Student and Amusement staffs," Kolodziej said. "We spent so much time together, we became like family."

Dating back

Student publication at Miami dates back to 1826 with the monthly publication of Literary Focus. Far from a journalistic approach, Literary Focus was published by the Erodelphian and Union Literary societies and featured fiction and essays on subjects spanning from patriotism to napping. The 24-page Literary Focus had a short run, ending in May 1828.

June 1861, the brink of the Civil War, brought the Miami Monthly, published by the Association of Students of Miami University. In its inaugural issue, the Monthly boasted its devotion "to literature and to general items of college interest." The collection of essays, poems, book reviews and obituaries also featured current political writing such as "The crisis of our country."

May 1867 issued the first publication titled The Miami Student, delivered the first Tuesday of the month for 10 cents. Content included poetry, essays and coverage of the Miami baseball team and fraternities.

November 1886 brought The Miami Journal, a fifteen cent monthly with news, gossip and facts on other colleges across the country.

Publication stopped in 1872 when the university closed, yet the Journal returned. The Miami Student returned in 1888, and the publication became a twice-weekly newspaper in 1909.

Newsroom changes

As The Student may have evolved over the years, with a changing flag and varied content, the newsroom routine has also changed.

Without the help of computers and the Internet, sports editor Moore said editing in the late 1970s was a much different job.

"We would edit the old fashioned way on yellow paper with a pen and old editing marks," Moore said. "We typed stories out on typewriters."

The editor in chief from 1979-80, Furiga said the newsroom was much different.

"We had big fat manual typewriters, 20 pounds each," Furiga said. "People would bang out stories and we would edit them by hand with red pen, or sometimes cut them up with scissors and paste them back in order."

Furiga said he and Gardner were on staff when The Student purchased its first computer to revolutionize the production process.

"That's when The Student got its first Compugraphic system," Furiga said. "I think it cost $50,000, and it was such a pig in comparison to today's technology that I can now do more on my iPhone than one of those old machines."

With photographic paper, a wax machine, X-acto knifes, scissors and a darkroom, Furiga said The Miami Student took form.

After the pages were printed, the duty of delivery loomed. Dale Koblenzer worked in distributing The Student.

"The paper was delivered out of a 1968 Cutlass SS 400 muscle car and a 1965 Plymouth Valiant," Koblenzer said. "We would drive to The (Oxford) Press and load them in after lunch. The best part was we were allowed to drive on the sidewalk to the buildings."

MacDonald said she remembers long nights in the production office.

"We had late nights burning the midnight oil until 1 or 2 a.m.," MacDonald said. "It was really energizing actually. We felt like we were making a difference."

For Moore, the late nights were also enjoyable.

"It was always a mixture of camaraderie and pressure," Moore said. "It felt like we were always doing things at the last minute. We would order pizza and have a good old time. The office was like our own little wing."

While Gardner said he has fond memories, he said he has a few regrets from his hectic schedule.

"As I recall, most of us were spending our waking and sometimes non-waking hours at the paper, often to the neglect of classes, studies and other friends," Gardner said.

Miami memories

During his time with The Student, Furiga said one of the most memorable stories was the 1980 legalization of hard liquor in uptown Oxford.

"Oxford 'went wet' while I was editor of The Student, bringing hard liquor to uptown bars," Furiga said. "We had a lot of fun senior year with an entire April Fool's issue that played off that, including an editorial that decried Wicker Madness."

Another story that has stayed with Furiga was the murder conviction of a Miami student.

"He was a Cleveland area student who was convicted of bludgeoning his parents to death one weekend and then driving back to Miami where he was later arrested," Furiga said. "A few of us not only wrote about that one for The Student but also for dailies around the state ... I think he is still serving a life term."

During the post-Watergate period, MacDonald said journalism, especially investigative reporting, was at a high point.

"It was probably one of the best times to be a journalist because corporate resources weren't limited the way they are now," MacDonald said. "Newspapers were respected for the kinds of services and investigations they were willing to pursue in their communities and cities."

Likewise, MacDonald said recognizes The Student's quality level of training for aspiring journalists.

"One thing I didn't realize at Miami until I left was how (student journalists) held our own," MacDonald said. "Miami gave us the opportunity to do all things at once. We worked on all aspects of putting a paper together. We were immersed in journalism. I really appreciate the Miami experience."