Rumpus Magazine
Encyclopedia
Rumpus is a tabloid publication produced six times a year by students at Yale College
in New Haven, Connecticut
. Visually resembling the New York Post
, Rumpus is a controversial, humorous publication with content ranging from campus gossip to investigative reporting.
and Calhoun College
, one of Yale's twelve residential colleges. Rumpus claims to be the "Oldest College Tabloid", a play on the Yale Daily News "Oldest College Daily." (Source: Rumpus 10th -anniversary issue.)
The founders of Rumpus aimed to write "to be read" by fellow students; its motto is "The only magazine at Yale about Stuff at Yale."
"Rumpus Rumpus" is a column devoted to rumors and embarrassing campus hijinks. "Remedial Media" critiques other campus publications including the Yale Daily News
and the Yale Herald. Rumpus also closely follows the doings of Yale's secret societies
, including Skull and Bones
, to which both Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush
belonged when they were seniors at Yale. The magazine regularly exposes membership lists and once even infiltrated the Skull and Bones retreat at Deer Iland (sic) in Canada
.
In spring 2001, Rumpus closely followed First Daughter and Yale student Barbara Bush. One article, cited by the Washington Post and other publications around the globe, detailed an incident where Bush and her friends escaped from the assigned Secret Service
detail by stranding them at a tollbooth. (Bush was on her way to see a wrestling match at Madison Square Garden
.) Barbara's driver had an E-ZPass
and the Secret Service did not, which put the Secret Service agents in a position where they had to race at a high speed to catch up with the First Daughter. The Barbara article received attention at the highest levels in the Secret Service and the White House
, prompting the Yale administration to request that Rumpus pull the issue from their website for security concerns. Sources: Washington Post, January 7, 2004. excerpt from "The Perfect Wife: The Life and Choices of Laura Bush," by Post reporter Ann Gerhart; Wired, April 21, 2001.
In April 2006, Rumpus was accused of insensitivity by the Asian American Students Association (AASA) and other cultural organizations on campus when the magazine published two articles about racial stereotyping. Rumpus claimed that the articles were intended to ridicule racial stereotyping, not endorse the practice. AASA requested that both Rumpus and the Yale Herald (accused of the same insensitivity) be defunded by the Yale College administration. This request was not granted. Source:Yale Daily News, April 21, 2006.
Yale College
Yale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887. The name now refers to the undergraduate part of the university. Each undergraduate student is assigned to one of 12 residential colleges.-Residential colleges:...
in New Haven, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. Visually resembling the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
, Rumpus is a controversial, humorous publication with content ranging from campus gossip to investigative reporting.
History
Rumpus was first published in fall 1992 by a half-dozen associates from the Yale Political UnionYale Political Union
The Yale Political Union , a debate society now the largest student organization at Yale University, was founded in 1934 by Professor Alfred Whitney Griswold , to enliven the university's political culture of the time. It was modelled on the Cambridge Union Society and Oxford Union...
and Calhoun College
Calhoun College
Calhoun College is a residential college of Yale University.-Early history:In 1641, John Brockston established a farm on the plot of land that is now Calhoun College...
, one of Yale's twelve residential colleges. Rumpus claims to be the "Oldest College Tabloid", a play on the Yale Daily News "Oldest College Daily." (Source: Rumpus 10th -anniversary issue.)
The founders of Rumpus aimed to write "to be read" by fellow students; its motto is "The only magazine at Yale about Stuff at Yale."
Features
Rumpus annual "Yale's Fifty Most Beautiful People" list features glamour shots and profiles of the 25 most attractive male students and the 25 most attractive female students of Yale College."Rumpus Rumpus" is a column devoted to rumors and embarrassing campus hijinks. "Remedial Media" critiques other campus publications including the Yale Daily News
Yale Daily News
The Yale Daily News is an independent student newspaper published by Yale University students in New Haven, Connecticut since January 28, 1878...
and the Yale Herald. Rumpus also closely follows the doings of Yale's secret societies
Secret society
A secret society is a club or organization whose activities and inner functioning are concealed from non-members. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence agencies or guerrilla insurgencies, which hide their...
, including Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....
, to which both Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
belonged when they were seniors at Yale. The magazine regularly exposes membership lists and once even infiltrated the Skull and Bones retreat at Deer Iland (sic) in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Controversies
Rumpus was sued for libel in 1997 by a local New Haven landlord and ultimately settled the case. Source: Yale Daily News, October 30, 2001.In spring 2001, Rumpus closely followed First Daughter and Yale student Barbara Bush. One article, cited by the Washington Post and other publications around the globe, detailed an incident where Bush and her friends escaped from the assigned Secret Service
United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...
detail by stranding them at a tollbooth. (Bush was on her way to see a wrestling match at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
.) Barbara's driver had an E-ZPass
E-ZPass
E-ZPass is an electronic toll-collection system used on most tolled roads, bridges, and tunnels in the northeastern US, south to Virginia and West Virginia, and west to Illinois. Currently, there are 25 agencies spread across 14 states that make up the . All member agencies use the same technology,...
and the Secret Service did not, which put the Secret Service agents in a position where they had to race at a high speed to catch up with the First Daughter. The Barbara article received attention at the highest levels in the Secret Service and the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
, prompting the Yale administration to request that Rumpus pull the issue from their website for security concerns. Sources: Washington Post, January 7, 2004. excerpt from "The Perfect Wife: The Life and Choices of Laura Bush," by Post reporter Ann Gerhart; Wired, April 21, 2001.
In April 2006, Rumpus was accused of insensitivity by the Asian American Students Association (AASA) and other cultural organizations on campus when the magazine published two articles about racial stereotyping. Rumpus claimed that the articles were intended to ridicule racial stereotyping, not endorse the practice. AASA requested that both Rumpus and the Yale Herald (accused of the same insensitivity) be defunded by the Yale College administration. This request was not granted. Source:Yale Daily News, April 21, 2006.
Founders
- Aaron Craig, attorney
- Jay Dixit, journalist and writer
- Y. Euny HongY. Euny HongY. Euny Hong is a Korean American journalist and writer. Ms. Hong was born in New Jersey, the United States. At age 12, she moved to Seoul, Korea with her family, and later returned to the US to attend college. She graduated from Yale University with a B.A...
, writer and journalist