The Rocket is a weekly paper published by the students of Slippery Rock University

Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania

Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania is a public, master's-level university that offers some doctoral programs in cooperation with Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Both institutions are members of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education...

. The Rocket publishes every Friday during the academic semester with the exception of holidays, exam periods and vacations.

The newspaper has three sections: News, Sports, and Campus Life.

History

The Rocket began publication in 1934. Student participation as newspaper staff increased in the 1970s following the Watergate controversy, along with enrollment in journalism classes. The paper has been no stranger to controversy. In 1970 its front page showed a simulated wanted poster

Wanted poster

A wanted poster is a poster distributed to let the public know of an alleged criminal whom authorities wish to apprehend. They will generally include either a picture of the alleged criminal when a photograph is available, or of a facial composite image produced by a police artist...

 accusing U.S. President Richard Nixon

Richard Nixon

Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...

 of "homicide

Homicide

Homicide refers to the act of a human killing another human. Murder, for example, is a type of homicide. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English...

, genocide

Genocide

Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...

, and conspiracy

Conspiracy (crime)

In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement...

." The alumni association and the faculty council denounced the issue, but the college said the paper is a publication by the students and has its own editorial policy. The paper was again itself in the news when its editorial cartoon in 2006 dealt with reverse racism.

Circulation and distribution

It has a circulation of 3,000 and is distributed throughout campus and the surrounding community of Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania

Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania

Slippery Rock is a borough in Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,068 at the 2000 census. It is home to the Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania.-Geography:Slippery Rock is located at ....

.

Awards

The Rocket won the ACP Newspaper Pacemaker award from Associated Collegiate Press in 1999.
2000 Society of Collegiate Journalists Mark of Excellence Award Second Place All-Around Weekly Newspaper.
2000 American Press Scholastic Association First Place with Special Merit.
2000 The Columbia Scholastic Press Association (Fall) Gold Medal Certificate.
2000 The Columbia Scholastic Press Association (Spring) Gold Medal Certificate.
2002 American Press Scholastic Association First place with Special Merit.
2002 The Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Medal Certificate.

The Rocket was named honorable mention for newspaper web site from the 2010 Pennsylvania Newspaper Association collegiate award contest.

1995 The Society for Collegiate Journalists First Place Award for Editorial Cartoons - Editorial Cartoonist Rob Gerlach (Class of 1995).

1994 The Society for Collegiate Journalists Third Place Award for Editorial Cartoons - Editorial Cartoonist Rob Gerlach (Class of 1995).

Original Comics

The Rocket has published Slippery Rock University students' original comics including the editorial cartoon and two comic strips. A more serious action comic titled "The Rock" and a traditional comic titled "Homeless and the Cat," have been featured on the comics page. The latter of the two underwent different title and character changes as it was taken over by different authors. It is now titled "Homeless and the Kid."
A Comic Strip entitled "Life at the Rock" was also featured in 1999. The strip was penned by 1999 Rock Alum, Corey Bugenhagen

In addition, a comic strip entitled "The Life of Bobbin" was featured in 1994 and 1995. The strip was penned by 1995 Rock Alum, Rob Gerlach.