Varsity is the older of Cambridge University's main student newspapers (The Cambridge Student is the other, younger, one). Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 467 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (481 × 617 pixel, file size: 74 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This is a sample front cover of an issue of Varsity, the newspaper, often used as a logo. ... The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University), located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world and has a reputation as one of the worlds most prestigious universities. ... The Cambridge Student, commonly known as TCS, is the younger of Cambridge Universitys student newspapers (Varsity is the other). ...

History

Varsity is one of Britain's oldest student newspapers. Its first edition was published in 1931. However, the first few years saw Varsity get off to a shaky start. In 1932 controversy about some of the stories resulted in the editor being challenged to a duel, and the following year the paper went bankrupt with losses of £100. Year 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1932 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

A variety of attempts to revive Varsity led to the paper resurfacing periodically over the following decade. However, it was not until 1947 that the paper was re-established permanently in its current form. In the mid-1970s, it merged with the radical campaigning student paper Stop Press.

In 1955, a one-off Oxford edition of the paper was produced by the then editor Michael Winner. Since then the paper has concentrated on the Cambridge audience. Michael Winner (born 30 October 1935) is an English film director and producer, active in both Europe and the United States, also known as a food critic for the Sunday Times. ...

Famous contributions

Many of those who wrote for the paper during their student days have since gone on to achieve distinction in later life. Famous ex-editors include the BBC news presenters Jeremy Paxman and David Frost, film director Michael Winner, the late television presenter Richard Whiteley, Financial Times editor Andrew Gowers, novelist Robert Harris and historian Jonathan Spence. International Herald Tribune fashion writer and author Suzy Menkes was the newspaper's first female editor. For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... Jeremy Dickson Paxman (born 11 May 1950) is an English BBC journalist, news presenter and author. ... David Frost during an interview with Donald Rumsfeld. ... Michael Winner (born 30 October 1935) is an English film director and producer, active in both Europe and the United States, also known as a food critic for the Sunday Times. ... John Richard Whiteley, OBE DL (28 December 1943 — 26 June 2005) was an English television presenter and journalist. ... The Financial Times (FT) is a British international business newspaper. ... Andrew Gowers was appointed editor of the Financial Times in October 2001. ... Robert Harris is an English TV reporter and author, born in 1957 in the city of Nottingham. ... Jonathan D. Spence (Chinese name: simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: , August 11, 1936– ) is a British-born historian and public intellectual specializing in Chinese history. ... The International Herald Tribune is a widely read English language international newspaper. ... Suzy Menkes is the head fashion reporter for the International Herald Tribune. ...

Some of Sylvia Plath's earliest poems and J G Ballard's first published story were written for the paper. Meanwhile, legendary comic Peter Cook met his first wife while posing for a Varsity May Ball photoshoot. Sylvia Plath (October 27, 1932 – February 11, 1963) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer. ... James Graham Ballard (born November 18, 1930 in Shanghai) is a British novelist. ... For other persons named Peter Cook, see Peter Cook (disambiguation). ... The bridge over the River Cam at Clare College during its 2005 May Ball. ...

Naturally, the paper has also launched the careers of many news journalists, including in recent times Observer Political Editor Gaby Hinsliff, Guardian New York correspondent Oliver Burkeman, Guardian music critic Alexis Petridis, News of the World reporter Luke Layfield, Independent reporters Oliver Duff and Amol Rajan and Independent columnist Johann Hari. Controversial BBC and Evening Standard reporter Andrew Gilligan, later famed for a row with 10 Downing Street, was once a news editor. Other notable contributors who have had later success in other fields include Michael Frayn, Germaine Greer, Clive James and even the Prince of Wales. Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... For other uses, see Guardian. ... For other uses, see Guardian. ... Alexis Petridis is the chief music writer for UK newspaper The Guardian, as well as a regular contributor to the magazine GQ. He was the final editor of now defunct music magazine Select. ... Johann Hari (born January 21, 1979) is a British journalist and writer. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... Headlines of the Evening Standard on the day of London bombing on July 7, 2005, in Waterloo Station The Evening Standard is a British tabloid newspaper published and sold in London and surrounding areas of southeast England. ... Andrew Paul Gilligan (born 22 November 1968, Teddington, London, England) is a journalist best known for his 2003 report about a British government briefing paper on Iraq and weapons of mass destruction (the September Dossier) while working for BBC Radio 4s The Today Programme as its defence and diplomatic... Michael Frayn (born 8 September 1933) is an English playwright and novelist. ... Germaine Greer (born January 29, 1939) is an Australian-born writer, broadcaster and retired academic, widely regarded as one of the most significant feminist voices of the 20th century. ... Clive James AM (born October 7, 1939 in Kogarah, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia) is an expatriate Australian writer, poet, essayist, critic, and commentator on popular culture. ... “Prince Charles” redirects here. ...

Stories first revealed in Varsity have often gone on to receive coverage in the UK's national press. In recent years reports to capture wider attention have included the leak of the name of the Cambridge's latest vice-Chancellor, news about student protests concerning higher education funding, and a host of lighter reports about undergraduate excesses.

Other stories have had a more lasting significance. In May 1953, Varsity may have been the first newspaper in the world to carry a report on James Watson and Francis Crick's discovery of the structure of DNA. ^[1] There is more than one person with the name James Watson: James Watson, participant in the Battle of the Little Bighorn James Watson, author of the novel Talking in Whispers James Watson, U.S. Senator from New York (1797-1801) James Watson, painter of 77 portraits held by the U... Francis Harry Compton Crick OM FRS (8 June 1916 – 28 July 2004) was an English molecular biologist, physicist, and neuroscientist, who is most noted for being one of the co-discoverers of the structure of the DNA molecule in 1953. ...

Organisation

Varsity is published by Varsity Publications, a not-for-profit company and a registered charity. The company also produces a number of other student publications such as BlueSci - a student science magazine - and the The Mays - a collection of short stories and poems by Cambridge and Oxford students. The "Mays" have been published annually since 1992 and are most famous for launching the career of novelist Zadie Smith. She was first noticed by literary agencies after her short story Private Tutor appeared in the 1997 collection. The Mays Literary Anthology The Mays is an anthology of new writing by students from the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. ... Zadie Smith (born October 27, 1975) is an English novelist. ...

Advertising in Varsity has traditionally been seen as highly useful by graduate recruiters hoping to attract Cambridge students. As a result the newspaper is able to distribute free copies to members of the university without relying on student union funding and it was the first student newspaper in the UK to produce a colour section. Varsity's management and funding structure means that it is independent from both the University and Cambridge University Students' Union. In this respect it is unlike the vast majority of similar publications in other UK universities. The only other student newspapers to operate similarly are Oxford's Cherwell, The Defender at the University of Lincoln, and The Saint of the University of St Andrews. Cambridge University Students Union (CUSU) is the university-wide representative body for students at the University of Cambridge, England. ... The University of Oxford (informally Oxford University), located in the city of Oxford, England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... Cherwell newspaper is a student newspaper published by and for students of Oxford University. ... This page is about the British university. ... The Saint is a newspaper written by, and aimed at, students of the University of St Andrews in Scotland. ... St Marys College Bute Medical School St Leonards College[5][6] Affiliations 1994 Group Website http://www. ...

Unlike most student newspapers, the design of the newspaper is allowed to change radically with the arrival of new student editors.

Awards

The paper was successful in the Guardian Student Media Awards 2004 where it won the prize for best columnist (Archie Bland) and came runner-up in best sports writer category (Sam Richardson). In 2005 Varsity writer Sam Richardson won the Guardian's Student Diversity Writer of the Year award. The Guardian Student Media Awards are an annual UK-wide student journalism competition run by The Guardian newspaper. ...

Recent editors

• Michaelmas 2007: Lizzie Mitchell and Elliot Ross
• May Week 2007: Jamie Munk and Was Yaqoob
• Lent 2007: Joseph Gosden and Hermione Buckland-Hoby (Issue 1), Joseph Gosden and Natalie Woolman (Issue 2-9)
• Michaelmas 2006: Emily Stokes (Issues 1-2), Mary Bowers and Jonny Ensall (Issue 3-9)
• May Week 2006: Raj Bavishi and Rachel Divall
• Lent 2006: Jon Swaine and Amy Goodwin
• Michaelmas 2005: James Dacre
• May Week 2005: Henry Bowen
• Lent 2005: Amol Rajan
• Michaelmas 2004: Archie Bland
• May Week 2004: Ellen E Jones
• Lent 2004: Reggie Vettasseri and Laura-Jane Foley
• Michaelmas 2003: Tom Ebbutt
• May Week 2003: Tori Flower
• Lent 2003: Oliver Duff and Luke Layfield
• Michaelmas 2002: Katy Long
• Lent 2002: Rob Sharp
• Michaelmas 2001: Adam Joseph and Julian Blake

The Lent term editor also edits a single edition at the start of Easter term, and a separate editor controls a special edition May Week issue at the end of the academic year. Michaelmas term is the first term of Oxford University, Cambridge University, LSE, University of Wales, Lampeter, Durham University, and formerly University of Newcastle upon Tynes academic year, and is the only term name shared by Oxford and Cambridge, Oxford and Lampeter and Oxford and Durham. ... May Week is the name used within the University of Cambridge to refer to the week at the end of the academic year. ... Lent term is the name of the spring term at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. ... Michaelmas term is the first term of Oxford University, Cambridge University, LSE, University of Wales, Lampeter, Durham University, and formerly University of Newcastle upon Tynes academic year, and is the only term name shared by Oxford and Cambridge, Oxford and Lampeter and Oxford and Durham. ... May Week is the name used within the University of Cambridge to refer to the week at the end of the academic year. ... Lent term is the name of the spring term at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. ... Michaelmas term is the first term of Oxford University, Cambridge University, LSE, University of Wales, Lampeter, Durham University, and formerly University of Newcastle upon Tynes academic year, and is the only term name shared by Oxford and Cambridge, Oxford and Lampeter and Oxford and Durham. ...

Staff

Though Varsity's editors are not paid, they are supported by a full-time Business Manager (in charge of sourcing advertising to fund the publications, and running the office on a day-to-day basis) and a part-time Company Secretary (in charge of finance, accounts, tax and administration).

The 2007-8 Business Manager is Michael Derringer. The Company Secretary is Pat Dalby.

Recent Business Managers:

• 2006-7: Adam Edelshain
• 2005-6: Chris Adams
• 2004-5: Eve Williams
• 2003-4: Sam Gallagher
• 2002-3: Tim Nixon

Varsity also has a Board of Directors made up of University academics, long-term associates of the newspaper and student members.

Premises

Varsity is now based at the Old Examination Hall on New Museums Site in the former Godwin Laboratory. Previously, Varsity was based at 11-12 Trumpington Street for over 16 years. The newspaper's move from this 'temporary' home to the new offices occurred in August 2007.

References

• 1 de Chadarevian, Soraya (April 2003). "Perceptions in Science: The Making of an Icon". Science Vol. 300. no. 5617, (11): pp. 255–257. doi:10.1126/science.1081133. Retrieved on 2006-05-22. 

A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 142nd day of the year (143rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Varsity
• BlueSci