Since Spring 2020, The Observer – the UIS Student Media - has lived entirely online. While our digital edition has allowed us to keep reporting, something essential has been missing: the physical presence of a newspaper in students’ hands, on tables across campus, and in the spaces where campus life actually happens.
In the past 2 years, The Observer has undergone significant changes – redesigning the logo and website, increasing the number of student journalists, collaborating with writing-focused classes, and creating more interactive and visual stories. These changes has resulted in over 1000% increase in readership online!
This year, we’re working to bring back monthly printed editions—a curated collection of the most important stories, investigations, and student voices from each month. These print issues won’t replace our online coverage; they’ll elevate it. A physical paper invites discovery, sparks conversation, and ensures that the stories shaping our campus reach students, faculty, and staff where they are.
To make this happen, we need your help! Printing costs have risen significantly since 2020, and as a student-run publication, we rely on the generosity of supporters who believe in independent student journalism. Your contribution—no matter the size—directly funds the return of a tangible, visible, community building newspaper on our campus. If you value student voices and the tradition of a newspaper you can actually hold, please consider donating. Together, we can bring our paper back into the hands of the population it serves.
Examples of how your gift can make a difference:
- $5 - buys 4 physical copies
- $20 – buys 16 physical copies
- $50 – buys a newspaper stand to display copies
- $250 – buys one physical print
- $1500 – pays for 6 months of printing
Thank you for supporting student journalism and helping us write the next chapter of our story.
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