As soon as Fairmount College, the early predecessor to Wichita State University, was formed in 1895, a group of people decided that the school needed a platform to publish student voices, and they created The Sunflower. The first issue was produced in January 1896.

Now, 130 years later, we are still kicking.

We have always aimed to be editorially independent, meaning no faculty, administration or student government can tell us what to publish. Our goal is to provide accurate information to the very student body and community we are a part of.

The Sunflower remains the oldest student organization on campus. It documented the beginnings of the university, back when it was still Fairmount College, and its progression from the University of Wichita to Wichita State University. Our staff has observed the rise and fall of nations and changes in policy and leadership on all levels, covered historical events and adapted to emerging technology. Through it all, The Sunflower has been there, keeping track of and recording history to inform the student body.

The newspaper itself has gone through many changes — editorial staffs, printing schedules, logos and new platforms — and many challenges, including funding, staffing shortages, conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite that, The Sunflower has kept publishing for 130 years — no matter what, because that’s our job. Unlike a class, where students can simply not turn in an assignment and take an “F,” not turning in an issue of the newspaper is not an option for us.

So now, in honor of the organization’s anniversary, we wanted to take the time to flip through our archives and revisit stories of the past. Reflecting on our history, it’s hard not to imagine how the founders of The Sunflower felt during January 1896. Did they know or even imagine what the organization would be more than a century later?

While we can’t know what they were thinking, we do know what they wrote. In the first issue there is an editorial: “This issue begins the life of another periodical,” the staff wrote. “We offer no apology.” From these words, we can assume the founders meant for this newspaper to be the journal of the university and the voice of the students, through changes, adversity and time.

We wouldn’t have been able to do this research without the efforts of the Ablah Library’s Special Collections team. Over the years, the library has helped maintain our history by creating bound archives of our paper and digitizing them for future generations to access. Some ask why we still print issues of The Sunflower. These physical archives are one big reason. Web pages can be changed. Stories online can get deleted. The bound copies of physical newspapers provide a record for generations to come.

The Sunflower has been a chronicle of history on and surrounding campus, covering important issues, from presidential controversies to the everyday happenings of student life. Our staff — from the editor-in-chief to section editors, to reporters, photographers and designers — have always been students, aside from the first editor, faculty member William H. Isely, who held the position until Fairmount College’s first senior class in 1898.

We’re not perfect. We’ve issued many corrections throughout our years and fallen victim to the biases of time. And when we mess up, students notice.

In the 1980s, there were multiple letters to the editor about how The Sunflower didn’t do the best coverage of campus events. During the civil rights era, there was consistent discourse of race. In the late 1960s, The Sunflower’s misspelled of “Negro,” in an article about Black Power, prompting many letters to the editor about how to refer to the Black community. For generations, the news industry had been largely white and male, but over time, has expanded to include more perspectives and walks of life.

But the goal isn’t to anger our readers, nor is it to make everyone happy. It’s reporting information people should know. It’s expanding people’s perspectives. It’s uplifting ‌voices who may not have been heard otherwise. In our opinion section, we create a space for public forum and discourse, with avenues for feedback.

It’s impossible to kill journalism, or the need for it. Because people like us will continue to find and tell the truth. The Sunflower has been around for this long because of the resilience of those before us, and no one intends to let it die. That’s our duty — and our promise —  to the Wichita State community.

Even as social media competes for everyone’s attention with short-form content, clickbait and algorithmic isolation, The Sunflower will continue to serve our audience — the students, faculty and staff at Wichita State University. No other organization on the planet shares our mission.

So, pick up a paper on Tuesdays, go to thesunflower.com or follow our social media to stay updated. Don’t hesitate to give us feedback. We can’t do what we do without you.

With that, thank you to everyone who’s helped make our tenure possible. Here’s to another 130 years serving Wichita State.