The Argonaut is celebrating its 125th anniversary and has made a significant impact during challenging times.
There have been many editors in chief who have released various issues over the years. One of the oldest EICs is Jean Cerar.
Jean was the Editor in Chief in the spring of 1967; she shared the responsibility with Ellen Ostheller who was EIC in the fall.
Cerar said, “In those days there were usually two editors per year, each one responsible for a semester.”
In that time the editors were known as “Jason” and were responsible for writing the Golden Fleece opinion column. Ellen was Jason 49 and Jean was Jason 80. Before Cerar was editor she worked on the paper as a starting reporter and moved up quickly through the positions.
“News editor, managing editor, associate editor, and editor in chief my final semester,” said Cerar.
The sections of the newspaper have changed over the years, with the removal and addition of new sections, but Cerar’s favorite was the Golden Fleece.
Cerar said, “The freedom to pick any topic of interest and write a personal opinion,” made it her favorite section to write for.
She enjoyed the other sections of the newspaper when she worked in them. Cerar did have a favorite position, other than EIC, which was the news editor.
“The news editor worked with the writers as they developed their stories. The news editor was also responsible for the layout of the paper.” Cerar said.
During her first semester on the Argonaut, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Everyone was in shock, but the staff came together.
“The Arg staff gathered at the office and the editor started assigning staff to cover the story as it related to the campus community. I was sent upstairs to do a man-on-the-street interview with students in the cafeteria of the sub.” Cerar said.
The story she wrote made the front page. Cerar earned her first Argonaut byline.
Being a part of the Argonaut for four years many moments were significant to Cerar, but also to the student body. Cerar and her fellow editor, Ostheller, were almost fired in 1967 for publishing something that the student executive board did not approve of.
“We all talked it out and the crisis passed. Negotiating skills learned.” Cerar said.
Cerar remembered that student’s rights were a significant issue on campus at the time.
“Students were demanding more freedom and less control by the university administration. The system up to that time had been in loco parentis, meaning the school had the responsibility to in act in place of the student’s parents, especially for women.” Cerar said.
This issue was spread across campus and gave women strict guidelines that they were required to follow.
During Cerar’s freshman year, all the women living on campus had to check in and out whenever they were gone from their living spaces. Along with that, there were strict hours for coming in at night.
“By the time I was a senior, all senior women had keys but were still supposed to be in by 2 am. All students, but especially women were discouraged from living off campus.” Cerar said.
Time went on and student’s rights changed after Cerar graduated. After she graduated, a different issue would be brought up on campus, the Vietnam draft. There were well-attended debates about Vietnam and students staged quiet protests, but these actions changed nothing on campus.
“I would get a call at the Arg office at 11 p.m. for a member of the Students for a Democratic Society chapter at Berkley. They wanted to know what was happening in Idaho. I told them not much, and I’m sure they thought that was disappointing.” Cerar said.
In the late 1960s, the University of Idaho was still an isolated school with an enrollment of around 5700. The Argonaut tried their best to cover the campus community.
“We chose not to cover national or international news because that information was available from other sources,” Cerar said
The Argonaut was printed at the daily Idahoian office in the middle of downtown Moscow back in the late 19602.
“During my four years on the Argonaut, the Idahoan upgraded from printing on lead-type flatbed presses to printing on rotary offset pressed,” Cerar said.
She is glad to have witnessed the transition long before the appearance of desktop publishing and internet publishing.
Cerar is still in contact with Ellen whom she shared her year as Editor in Chief. She is also still in contact with Jane Watts (Weiss) and Leo Jeffres, who were editors at the Argonaut during the 1965-66 year.
“The people were one of the best things about being on the Argonaut. We are responsible for putting out two issues every week in addition to being full-time students. It was always a thrill to see the issue come to life, to this day I am a sucker for watching the newspaper press roll.” Cerar said.
Writing for the Argonaut for four years and being the editor in chief, Jean Cerar has wisdom that she would like to pass down to future journalists.
“The Argonaut is a wonderful place to try ideas and make mistakes in a safe space. Take every opportunity that comes your way while on staff and you’ll come away with great skills.”
Grace Boehland can be reached at [email protected]