The Martlet
Encyclopedia
The Martlet is a weekly student newspaper
at the University of Victoria
(UVic) in Victoria
, British Columbia
, Canada
. There are over a dozen employees on the payroll, but significant work is done by student volunteers (writing, taking photos, copy editing). The Martlet is funded partially by student fees, and partially by advertisements. As of 2007, each student pays $3.75 per semester to the Martlet. The newspaper is distributed freely around the UVic campus and various locations around greater Victoria each Thursday during the school year, and on a monthly basis in the summer. The paper also maintains a website http://www.martlet.ca. The Martlet is a member of the Canadian University Press
.
birds appear on the crest of McGill University
, and the University of Victoria grew out of the McGill University College of British Columbia. For a brief period in the early 1970's, the Martlet was re-named the 'Cougar City Gazette', a reflection of the defiance of the paper towards the administration.
In 1971, the Martlet was partly responsible for bringing about the resignation of the university's president, Bruce J. Partridge, when it erroneously reported that he had obtained his law degree from a correspondence school under investigation as a "degree mill." In 2001, the Martlet Publishing Society issued an apology to Partridge for publishing articles that made reference to these events in an anniversary book. A 2003 Martlet article by Patrick White stated that, though Partridge legitimately acquired his degree by correspondence, rumours about Partridge's qualifications spread throughout the university. He resigned in November 1971. An article with a statement from Partridge can be found in an archived 1971 issue of the University of British Columbia's paper the Ubyssey
.
Until 2004 the Martlet had an "advertising boycott list", which has been dropped to allow for an assessment of each individual advertisement. The Martlet has received criticism for running advertisements that some readers have interpreted as sexist
, notably in fall 2004 when they ran ads for "Canada's Search for the Coors Light Maxim Girl."
Student newspaper
A student newspaper is a newspaper run by students of a university, high school, middle school, or other school. These papers traditionally cover local and, primarily, school or university news....
at the University of Victoria
University of Victoria
The University of Victoria, often referred to as UVic, is the second oldest public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It is a research intensive university located in Saanich and Oak Bay, about northeast of downtown Victoria. The University's annual enrollment is about 20,000 students...
(UVic) in Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, 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...
. There are over a dozen employees on the payroll, but significant work is done by student volunteers (writing, taking photos, copy editing). The Martlet is funded partially by student fees, and partially by advertisements. As of 2007, each student pays $3.75 per semester to the Martlet. The newspaper is distributed freely around the UVic campus and various locations around greater Victoria each Thursday during the school year, and on a monthly basis in the summer. The paper also maintains a website http://www.martlet.ca. The Martlet is a member of the Canadian University Press
Canadian University Press
Canadian University Press is a non-profit co-operative and newswire service owned by almost 90 student newspapers at post-secondary schools in Canada. Founded in 1938, CUP is the oldest student newswire service in the world and the oldest national student organization in North America. Many...
.
History
The Martlet was founded when UVic was Victoria College, and the original name was the Microscope. The paper takes its name from a heraldic bird with no feet. Three martletMartlet
A martlet is a heraldic charge depicting a stylized bird with short tufts of feathers in the place of legs...
birds appear on the crest of McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
, and the University of Victoria grew out of the McGill University College of British Columbia. For a brief period in the early 1970's, the Martlet was re-named the 'Cougar City Gazette', a reflection of the defiance of the paper towards the administration.
In 1971, the Martlet was partly responsible for bringing about the resignation of the university's president, Bruce J. Partridge, when it erroneously reported that he had obtained his law degree from a correspondence school under investigation as a "degree mill." In 2001, the Martlet Publishing Society issued an apology to Partridge for publishing articles that made reference to these events in an anniversary book. A 2003 Martlet article by Patrick White stated that, though Partridge legitimately acquired his degree by correspondence, rumours about Partridge's qualifications spread throughout the university. He resigned in November 1971. An article with a statement from Partridge can be found in an archived 1971 issue of the University of British Columbia's paper the Ubyssey
The Ubyssey
The Ubyssey is the University of British Columbia's student-run paper and is published every Monday and Thursday. Founded in 1918, The Ubyssey is a member of Canadian University Press , and is the largest student run paper in Western Canada, second largest in Canada...
.
Until 2004 the Martlet had an "advertising boycott list", which has been dropped to allow for an assessment of each individual advertisement. The Martlet has received criticism for running advertisements that some readers have interpreted as sexist
Sexism
Sexism, also known as gender discrimination or sex discrimination, is the application of the belief or attitude that there are characteristics implicit to one's gender that indirectly affect one's abilities in unrelated areas...
, notably in fall 2004 when they ran ads for "Canada's Search for the Coors Light Maxim Girl."
Alumni
Numerous well-known people and successful journalists have worked for the Martlet or its precursor, the Microscope. Notable alumni include:- Pierre BertonPierre BertonPierre Francis de Marigny Berton, was a noted Canadian author of non-fiction, especially Canadiana and Canadian history, and was a well-known television personality and journalist....
- non-fiction author - Dr. Eleanor Boyle - biopsychologist and author of "Effective College and University Teaching: A Practical Guide".
- David J. Climenhaga - journalist and labour leader
- Cleeve Dheensaw - author and Times Colonist sportswriter
- Robert Higinbotham - British Columbia Provincial Court judge
- Thomas Homer-DixonThomas Homer-DixonThomas Homer-Dixon holds the Centre for International Governance Innovation Chair of Global Systems at the Balsillie School of International Affairs in Waterloo, Ontario, and is a Professor in the Centre for Environment and Business in the Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo...
, environmental advisor to the Clinton White House - Stephen Hume - author and Vancouver Sun columnist
- W.P. Kinsella - novelist
- David Leach - journalist
- Andrew Macleod - Legislative bureau chief of The TyeeThe TyeeThe Tyee is an independent Canadian online web magazine, which focuses on coverage of news and media issues in British Columbia.The Tyee was launched in November 2003 by David Beers, a journalist who had previously been associated with the Vancouver Sun...
- Mr. Pickwick - owner of *Mr. Pickwick's Fish and Chips
- Briony Smith - Toronto fashion journalist
- Peter L. Smith - former UVic dean of fine arts and dean of arts and sciences
- Mary Vallis - National PostNational PostThe National Post is a Canadian English-language national newspaper based in Don Mills, a district of Toronto. The paper is owned by Postmedia Network Inc. and is published Mondays through Saturdays...
journalist - Ben Webb (1957-2002) - Editor of Sanity, the British Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament monthly
See also
- The Ring - UVic's community newspaper, published by UVic Communications
- Nexus - A student newspaper from neighbouring Camosun CollegeCamosun CollegeCamosun College is located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. As of 2009 it had over 12,500 full-time and part-time students between its Lansdowne and Interurban campuses. The Lansdowne campus provides university transfer and access programs, as well as career, technical and vocational...