BROOKLYN COLLEGE–This issue marks not only The Brooklyn College Vanguard’s 100th issue since its return in 2019, but also marks a milestone in our team’s commitment to informing students of campus-related issues and sharing the student voices that make up our diverse community.
We’ve come a long way, to say the least. The Vanguard started in 1936 during BC’s early years as a school. On May 12, 1950, then-president Dr. Harry D. Gideonse suspended the paper because of a controversial article being published about internal politics involving the history department. The school revoked The Vanguard’s charter, and official personnel changed the locks on the Vanguard’s office door.
Nevertheless, the editors and staff writers persisted. These students rallied together, and BC’s underground newspaper, The Draugnav (“Vanguard” spelled backward) was born. They crowdfunded for resources and used a staffer’s home basement as the office. President Gideonse, unhappy with the resurgence, suspended all five editors and the staff writers. Funding then folded, and a newspaper for BC seemed bleak.
