The Orion (California State University, Chico)
Encyclopedia
The Orion is the student newspaper
of California State University, Chico
and produces 32 issues every year, 16 each semester. Its offices are in the basement of Plumas Hall on the Chico State campus
. It has won numerous state and national awards, including several National Pacemakers. Its name is taken from the constellation Orion
, as the newspaper
is meant to be a "hunter of truth."
Because of frequent conflicts, The Wildcat removed itself from the campus in 1977, leaving The Orion as Chico State's only student newspaper. Today, The Wildcat is known as the Chico News & Review.
The Orion moved from the Meriam Library basement to the Plumas Hall basement in the mid-1980s. The Orion won its first National Newspaper Pacemaker Award in 1989.
format, and divided into four sections.
The Orion has separate staffs for editorial content, business/advertising, and design. Editorial content (and the paper overall) is headed by the editor in chief
and the managing editor
, business and advertising is headed by the business manager, and design is headed by the art director
.
In editorial content, there are five specific departments, covering different types of events: news, opinion, sports, arts, and features. Each section is headed by an editor
, who oversees a staff of reporters. Editors choose one of the reporters to be an assistant editor. There are also three more departments: copy proofreads and copy edits stories, photo produces picture to be included with the stories and online produces content in conjunction with the other departments for production on the newspaper's Web site.
Design is divided into two departments: editorial and advertising. These departments are headed by a design manager. Editorial design helps layout and creates graphics for editorial content, while advertising design designs advertisements for the paper that are sold by the business staff. Advertising design is also assigned a member of the copy department who proofreads ads.
The business department oversees the financial aspects of the paper, selling and placing advertisements, handling costs, and helping the paper stay in budget.
Associated Collegiate Press
National Newspaper Pacemaker Award: 1988-89, 1992–93, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2009.
Associated Collegiate Press National Newspaper of the Year: 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003.
Associated Collegiate Press National Convention Best of Show: 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009.
California Newspaper Publishers Association
Best University Newspaper: 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2008.
Society of Professional Journalists
Mark of Excellence Award National Winner: 2000, 2004.
On October 29, 2005, The Orion was inducted into the Associated Collegiate Press Hall of Fame.
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....
of California State University, Chico
California State University, Chico
California State University, Chico is the second-oldest campus in the twenty-three-campus California State University system. It is located in Chico, California, about ninety miles north of Sacramento...
and produces 32 issues every year, 16 each semester. Its offices are in the basement of Plumas Hall on the Chico State campus
Campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
. It has won numerous state and national awards, including several National Pacemakers. Its name is taken from the constellation Orion
Orion (constellation)
Orion, often referred to as The Hunter, is a prominent constellation located on the celestial equator and visible throughout the world. It is one of the most conspicuous, and most recognizable constellations in the night sky...
, as the newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
is meant to be a "hunter of truth."
History
The Orion's first issue was published March 12, 1975. The offices were in the basement of Meriam Library. The newspaper was eight pages long and in tabloid format. There was another student paper on campus, The Wildcat, which was funded by the Associated Students.Because of frequent conflicts, The Wildcat removed itself from the campus in 1977, leaving The Orion as Chico State's only student newspaper. Today, The Wildcat is known as the Chico News & Review.
The Orion moved from the Meriam Library basement to the Plumas Hall basement in the mid-1980s. The Orion won its first National Newspaper Pacemaker Award in 1989.
Operation
The Orion is published every Wednesday of the semester, except for fall semester finals week. During finals week of spring semester, a special summer issue is produced. Each issue is broadsheetBroadsheet
Broadsheet is the largest of the various newspaper formats and is characterized by long vertical pages . The term derives from types of popular prints usually just of a single sheet, sold on the streets and containing various types of material, from ballads to political satire. The first broadsheet...
format, and divided into four sections.
The Orion has separate staffs for editorial content, business/advertising, and design. Editorial content (and the paper overall) is headed by the editor in chief
Editor in chief
An editor-in-chief is a publication's primary editor, having final responsibility for the operations and policies. Additionally, the editor-in-chief is held accountable for delegating tasks to staff members as well as keeping up with the time it takes them to complete their task...
and the managing editor
Managing editor
A managing editor is a senior member of a publication's management team.In the United States, a managing editor oversees and coordinates the publication's editorial activities...
, business and advertising is headed by the business manager, and design is headed by the art director
Art director
The art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
.
In editorial content, there are five specific departments, covering different types of events: news, opinion, sports, arts, and features. Each section is headed by an editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
, who oversees a staff of reporters. Editors choose one of the reporters to be an assistant editor. There are also three more departments: copy proofreads and copy edits stories, photo produces picture to be included with the stories and online produces content in conjunction with the other departments for production on the newspaper's Web site.
Design is divided into two departments: editorial and advertising. These departments are headed by a design manager. Editorial design helps layout and creates graphics for editorial content, while advertising design designs advertisements for the paper that are sold by the business staff. Advertising design is also assigned a member of the copy department who proofreads ads.
The business department oversees the financial aspects of the paper, selling and placing advertisements, handling costs, and helping the paper stay in budget.
Awards
Numerous state and national awards have been won by The Orion over the years. A partial list includes:Associated Collegiate Press
Associated Collegiate Press
The Associated Collegiate Press is the largest and oldest national membership organization for college student media in the United States. The ACP is a division of the National Scholastic Press Association...
National Newspaper Pacemaker Award: 1988-89, 1992–93, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2009.
Associated Collegiate Press National Newspaper of the Year: 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003.
Associated Collegiate Press National Convention Best of Show: 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009.
California Newspaper Publishers Association
California Newspaper Publishers Association
The California Newspaper Publishers Association is a nonprofit trade association founded in 1888 that represents the daily and weekly newspapers of California. Its diverse membership consists of over 500 newspapers that elect 35 individuals to its governing board of directors...
Best University Newspaper: 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2008.
Society of Professional Journalists
Society of Professional Journalists
The Society of Professional Journalists , formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi, is one of the oldest organizations representing journalists in the United States. It was established in April 1909 at DePauw University, and its charter was designed by William Meharry Glenn. The ten founding members of...
Mark of Excellence Award National Winner: 2000, 2004.
On October 29, 2005, The Orion was inducted into the Associated Collegiate Press Hall of Fame.