The Clarion

The Clarion is the student voice of Madison Area Technical College. We believe in the inherent First Amendment right of freedom of expression and in the benefits of dialogue and debate within the college. We believe in the rights of the students to directly participate in college governance. The Clarion will teach students, inform the college commu... nity and advocate for students rights. The start of The Clarion can be traced to a school publication known as The Four Lakes Reporter, which began in the 1965-1966 school year. Published in a newsletter format, it contained mostly news updates and calendar information. A name and format change came about during the 1971-1972 school year, when the publication starting printing on newsprint and in the current tabloid format. The name Student Language and News Today was adopted, and the acronym SLANT became its common title. (Watch this video About the Clarion .) During its early years, the publication was closely aligned with the colleges journalism program. All content was written and edited by the journalism class under the guidance of instructor Mike Irwin. The publication was compiled and printed by the colleges graphics laboratory, overseen by instructor Robert Eason, at the Commercial Avenue facility. It was published on a monthly basis. In the mid-1980s, the publications name was slightly changed to Student Life and News Today, although the publication continued to be known as The SLANT. Students in the colleges journalism classes edited the publication, but they now accepted submissions from students throughout the college. For a short time period, from February 1989 through April 1992, The SLANT was published as a monthly news magazine. The student newspaper became an official student organization and part of the Student Life Offices co-curricular offerings in September 1992. Student Publication Specialist Karen Faster was hired to serve as the first non-faculty advisor for the publication. Students from all areas of the college could apply to serve as ...Read More