Two centuries of activism, decades of political violence and one campus paper

The Miami Student has served its campus with timely news and engaging stories for two centuries. More than that, it became an opportunity for students interested in writing to find a second home in the pages of what began as a twice-weekly publication.

Most of all, The Student showed up for its readers throughout the years. From local Oxford events to major national news, The Student has demonstrated a culture of consistency and commitment to truth as the Oldest College Newspaper West of the Alleghenies. Below, find some of the publication’s most crucial coverage, comparing past to present day and demonstrating how journalism captures the cyclical patterns of history.

Global illnesses

In January 1921, The Student broke the news that all Miami students would now be required to receive the smallpox vaccine after student cases sprouted up on campus. Until the “incubation period” ended, Miami required students to be vaccinated or remove themselves from campus.

Reporting from that period continued the following month, communicating an "optimistic" outlook on the smallpox outbreak, according to Miami’s archive collection.

The archives don’t show additional reporting from the year – a sharp contrast to how The Student grappled with a different disease: COVID-19.

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Similar to the news almost exactly a century earlier, The Student reported on Miami announcing its COVID-19 vaccine mandate. However, this was not a standalone article; TMS followed up with community reactions, a report on the various vaccines available and status updates on the progress of the vaccine.

The Student used its platform to report on both pandemics. However, it’s likely that expanded research and knowledge on illness outbreaks, as well as new technology, allowed The Student to conduct more expansive reporting during the COVID-19 pandemic, as opposed to smallpox.

Campus activism

Throughout the 1960s and early into the 1970s, The Student reported thoroughly on the Vietnam War — especially as it pertained to campus protests and activism. In an issue from a Feb. 27, 1968 print issue, three stories appeared: “Showdown vs. De-Escalation: Vietnam Solutions Differ,” “Debate Next In Senate’s Viet Series” and “Protestors Leave Withrow as Sign of Anti-War Sentiment.”

The first headline in particular is both bolded and italicized at the top of the spread, giving the story prime real estate. With a collection of articles in one issue and multiple stories across years of publication, The Student showed staff at the time did not shy away from reporting on global affairs that became localized to Miami’s campus.

College campuses across the country lit up in protest again in 2024 following the Israeli military operations in Palestine. Protests and encampments began on Miami's campus in April 2024 and continued through the end of the spring semester.

The Student reported throughout the presence of the pro-Palestinian encampment in early May, with updates on its status, the administration’s response and when it eventually dissolved 48 hours after it began. The Student also reported on student organization events related to the conflict, such as Students for Justice in Palestine’s Israeli Apartheid Week.

Miami has also seen several protests in response to different political events, like the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Ohio’s Senate Bill 1 and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s crackdown across the country.

With protests remaining consistent through the years, The Student has also been consistent with both hard news coverage informing students of their First Amendment rights, in addition to opinion columns about the right to assemble and protest.

Political violence

On Nov. 22, 1963, former President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Though this occurred more than 900 miles from Oxford, The Student reported on the event with several stories in its Nov. 26 print edition.

One story reported on how the campus commemorated the assassination with canceled classes during the president’s funeral and a memorial ceremony performed on Withrow Court. Another wrote that the campus was “shocked, saddened” by the news and reported the reactions of students and faculty at Miami.

According to the paper’s archives, there was no continued follow-up reporting.

In September 2025, another politically-motivated assassination occurred, but this time on a college campus. Right-wing activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot at Utah Valley University as part of Turning Point USA’s “The American Comeback Tour.”

The Student reported on his death the following day, detailing a vigil organized by Miami’s Turning Point chapter hosted at the university seal in Academic Quad, where 50 students attended.

Following The Student’s report of the death, opinion pieces were published both in favor of and opposed to Kirk and his organization.

Further reporting on Miami’s Turning Point chapter included Republican politician Vivek Ramaswamy’s visit to Miami to promote his bid for governor. Turning Point USA’s local chapter has remained active on campus after Kirk’s assassination and continues to grow.

Looking to the future

The Student’s archival collection in the Havighurst Special Collections in King Library, as well as online coverage dating back to 2014, holds an abundance of stories reporting on a variety of events. The publication’s centuries-long presence on campus has shown a commitment to being present for all of Miami’s news and reporting on it truthfully.

hirschr2@miamioh.edu