What Is The Penn? Inside IUP's Student Newspaper

The Penn is the student-run newspaper of Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), established in 1924 and published online at thepenn.org. It serves as IUP's student voice, covering campus news, sports, and opinion. If you're an IUP student looking to follow campus events, a prospective student researching the university, or someone interested in student journalism, The Penn is the publication to check.

What The Penn Covers

As a student newspaper, The Penn's content centers on the IUP community. Based on its role as the campus paper, coverage typically includes:

• Campus news — events, administrative decisions, and issues affecting students
• Sports — IUP athletics and related coverage
• Opinion — student perspectives, editorials, and commentary

The paper's tagline, "IUP's Student Voice," signals its purpose: representing and reporting on the student experience rather than serving as an official university communications outlet.

Who Produces It

The Penn is produced by students — editors, writers, and staff who are part of the IUP community. This matters for how you read it:

• Perspective: Content reflects student priorities and concerns, not an administrative viewpoint.
• Voice: Opinion and editorial content comes from students, so expect arguments and positions rather than neutral institutional messaging.
• Continuity: As a student-run operation, staff turns over as students graduate, which can shape coverage priorities over time.

How to Read The Penn

The publication is available online at thepenn.org. From the site you can:

1. Browse current issues and recent articles.
2. Look for archived content — established in 1924, The Penn has a long publishing history, and archives (where digitized) can be useful for research on IUP's past.
3. Check sections for news, sports, and opinion to find the content you want.

If you're researching a specific campus event or historical topic, start with the site's search or archive features rather than browsing issue by issue.

How to Get Involved

If you're an IUP student interested in contributing, The Penn offers several paths:

• Join the staff — write, edit, or take on production roles. Student newspapers typically welcome new contributors regardless of prior experience.
• Submit a letter or opinion piece — share your perspective on campus issues.
• Send tips — if you know about something happening on campus, passing it along helps the paper cover it.

The best first step is to visit thepenn.org and look for contact or submission information, then reach out directly to the editorial staff about current openings and how to pitch.

Quick Reference

The Penn is worth following if you want student-perspective coverage of IUP — and worth joining if you want hands-on journalism experience.