The Aquinian

The Aquinian is a student-owned-and-operated campus newspaper, at St. Thomas University (STU) in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. The newspaper is published on a weekly basis during the regular academic year. The paper is a member paper of Canadian University Press.

The Aquinian
TypeWeekly Student Newspaper
FormatBroadsheet
Owner(s)Autonomous
PublisherThe Aquinian, Inc
EditorDiana Chávez
Managing editorJasmine Gidney
Founded1935 (1935)
Political alignmentSocial liberalism
Headquarters51 Dineen Drive,
Fredericton, New Brunswick
Websitetheaquinian.net

The Aquinian's mission is to "foster a sense of community at STU by developing and promoting dialogue."[1] The newspaper and its staff adopt a social liberal ideological approach, advocating and publishing traditionally left-wing commentary on matters including body positivity,[2] LGBTQ rights,[3][4][5] and minority rights.[6]

Recent history

Before the 2004/2005 academic year, the newspaper was printed biweekly in broadsheet format. In the fall of 2004, the editorial staff scaled the paper down to tabloid format which made it financially feasible to print on a weekly basis.

The Aquinian has a friendly, good-natured rivalry with The Brunswickan, the campus newspaper for the University of New Brunswick, which is also located on Fredericton's campus hill.

Controversies
  • 2004–2005 academic year

St. Thomas University gained international headlines in the fall of 2004 when the paper published a photo taken of four University of New Brunswick (UNB) rugby players streaking across the university's rugby pitch. The incident generated huge interest in the paper among students, as well as, regional, national, and international media. It was also a controversy among UNB students and administration as the four players captured in the photo were suspended from playing in the Maritime men's university rugby championship, which the team went on to lose. [7] The four players in the photo were among at least ten who partook in the bare festivities. [8]

  • 2005–2006 academic year

The paper's content came under fire in the 2005/2006 academic year after it published an opinion piece on student apathy towards the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. It was accompanied by a photograph of a dead Iraqi soldier who had allegedly been run over by a tank. The image was taken from the controversial website, nowthatsfuckedup.com. The paper came under further scrutiny after publishing a questionable column on fitness ("Low Resolution") by then-arts editor Max Maxwell. In the piece, he made several incorrect assumptions about his primary subject. One apparent problem turned out to be a simile comparing the student's willpower to that of a donkey, chasing a carrot. Many misread the phrase as having described the main subject as looking like a donkey. A brief controversy arose when the student then disposed of several copies of the issue the piece was printed in, instructed to do so by Sofia Rodriguez Gallagher, the president of St. Thomas University's Students' Union at the time. Maxwell was given the choice to either resign or be fired.

  • 2012–2013 academic year

The paper generated a significant amount of negative attention following articles printed with regards to the resignation of a Students' Union Vice-President. The writer of said articles had been accused of prying into the personal life of the Vice President, reporting rumours and speculation as fact, and citing unprofessional sources. When asked for an apology by the Students' Representative Council, the Editor-in-Chief Liam McGuire, refused and maintained that the writer had done nothing wrong.

Editor in Chief
  • 2020-present: Diana Chávez
  • 2019–2020: Caitlin Dutt
  • 2018–2019: Sarah Morin
  • 2017–2018: Angela Bosse
  • 2016–2017: Hadeel Ibrahim
  • 2015–2016: Joseph Tunney
  • 2014–2015: MacKenzie Riley
  • 2013–2014: Ian Leblanc
  • 2012–2013: Liam McGuire
  • 2011–2012: Alyssa Mosher
  • 2010–2011: Tara Chislett
  • 2009–2010: Matt McCann
  • 2008–2009: Bailey White
  • 2007–2008: Nick Moore
  • 2006–2007: Kate Wright
  • 2005–2006: Justin Sadler
  • 2004–2005: Miriam Christensen
  • 2002–2004: Carmy Joseph
  • 2002–2002: Kyle Hanniman
  • 2001–2002: Andrew MacDonald

Managing Editor
  • 2020-present: Jasmine Gidney
  • 2019-2020: Jerry-Faye Flatt
  • 2018-2019: Cassidy Chisholm

See also

References
  1. "About theAQ". The Aquinian. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  2. "Commentary: Why isn't acne included in the body positivity movement?". The Aquinian. January 14, 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
  3. "Commentary: Stop killing us". The Aquinian. October 29, 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
  4. "Commentary: Time for gender equality in sports". The Aquinian. February 4, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
  5. "Commentary: How is gender neutral housing still not a thing?". The Aquinian. October 2, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
  6. "Commentary: The aftermath of Kaepernick and politics in the NFL". The Aquinian. January 15, 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
  7. "University suspends naked rugby players" CBC News, Friday, November 5, 2004 http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2004/11/05/rugby_naked041105.html
  8. "Rugby team may end naked celebrations" Canadian Press, November 5, 2004, "Archived copy". Archived from the original on June 23, 2007. Retrieved January 12, 2008.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

Notes
  1. "University suspends naked rugby players" CBC News, Friday, November 5, 2004 http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2004/11/05/rugby_naked041105.html
  2. "Rugby team may end naked celebrations" Canadian Press, November 5, 2004, https://archive.is/20070623032604/http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2004/11/05/702161.html
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