Daily Forty-Niner celebrates 55th anniversary

We at the Daily Forty-Niner are celebrating our 55th anniversary. The Daily Forty-Niner has had 55 years of reporting news, sports, entertainment and opinions to the students of Cal State Long Beach. The Daily Forty-Niner has come a long way since the first weekly issue was published.

Ruth Seeks, the first woman editor-in-chief, took control in 1954 and expanded the small paper to a full-sized newspaper. Later, in 1960, the 49er grew even larger, expanding to eight pages and allowing the staff to represent the students with more space, but still only once a week. The paper mostly covered on-campus events, sororities, fraternities and student government.

In 1961, the paper was pushed one step forward by allowing publication twice a week, printing 12-16 pages of news for the campus. Letters to the editor were added in 1964, allowing students to write in their feelings on any topic, making the Daily Forty-Niner the most popular on-campus paper. In 1967 the paper moved even farther, and gained another publication day, printing the paper in color on a tri-weekly basis. Students became more interested in national affairs, expanding the papers' coverage from on-campus events.

The Daily Forty-Niner has withstood the tumultuous times of the 1960s and 70s, continuing to provide important news and event information to our campus audience. The paper moved closer to a Daily during that time, printing four issues a week, beginning in 1969.

The Daily Forty-Niner today is the most professional newspaper published on campus, bringing important nationwide, local and campus news to CSULB students and giving them a place to publish their stories. It is also the only paper printed four days a week. The Daily Forty-Niner gives students a forum to share their ideas and writings. We are lucky to have access to such a publication and to be able to exercise our First Amendment rights. We have the ability to publish nearly all student opinions, and readers have the opportunity to write in responses or even write articles in response without being censored by the university or the government.

Being able to print dissenting opinions is a big deal. Many countries don't have that opportunity and many schools attempt to censor their publications. The Daily Forty-Niner has the ability to work with faculty and students to represent everyone who chooses to share their voice through print and we are grateful to the students and the school for giving us the opportunity to practice free speech on campus. Cheers to the past, present and future staff of the Daily Forty-Niner, and thanks to all our loyal readers.