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What is The Pacer?
The Pacer is the independent student newspaper of the University of Tennessee at Martin, published since 1928. It covers campus news, sports, and student life for the UT Martin community, with sports reporting such as volleyball coverage of the Skyhawk Classic.
For a practical next step, treat it as a campus-news source rather than a national outlet: if you're a prospective student, check recent issues for coverage of housing, events, or student organizations to get a feel for campus life; if you're an alum or local reader, its sports and university news sections are the most relevant. For broader context about the university itself, see UT Martin.
How can I join or contribute to The Pacer as a UT Martin student?
The Pacer is the independent student newspaper at the University of Tennessee at Martin, publishing since 1928. For UT Martin students, joining usually means one of two paths: working as a staff contributor (paid or for credit, depending on the role and semester) or contributing occasionally as a writer, photographer or tipster.
Practical routes in
- Newsroom roles: Student newspapers typically need writers, photographers, copy editors, page designers, social media managers and advertising staff. If you can attend regular production nights, a staff role gives you steady assignments and clips.
- Opinion and columns: Opinion pieces are the easiest entry point for students outside a journalism major. Pitch a specific argument tied to campus life, then expect an editor to trim it for length and style.
- Sports and campus events: The Pacer's sports coverage is a regular beat, so students who attend games and can turn around a short recap the same night are especially useful.
- Letters and guest submissions: If you only want to respond to coverage, a concise letter to the editor is a lower-commitment option.
How to actually approach them
Start by reading a few recent issues so you know the sections, bylines and house style. Then email the editor with a short pitch: who you are, your year and major, what you want to do, and one or two concrete story ideas. For example: "I'm a sophomore English major. I'd like to write two arts features this semester; here are two campus events I could cover this month." Editors respond better to specific availability than to a general "I want to help."
If you are unsure who currently holds which editor title, check the masthead in the print edition or the contact page on The Pacer. Student media turnover is fast, so a current name beats a directory listing from last year.
What to weigh before committing
| Path | Best for | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Staff writer or photographer | Building a portfolio, steady clips | Weekly deadlines during midterms and finals |
| Opinion columnist | Strong writers with a viewpoint | Editing for length and tone; not all pitches run |
| Occasional contributor | Testing interest without a semester commitment | Less coaching and fewer published pieces |
| Letters to the editor | Reacting to existing coverage | Short format, limited space |
A useful decision rule: if you want published clips for internships, ask about a staff or contributing role with a set number of stories per month; if you mainly want to see your name in print once, pitch a single timely piece instead.
One practical note: student newsrooms are small, so reliability matters more than experience. Turning in a clean 400-word story on time will get you more assignments than a polished pitch you never deliver.
Where can I find The Pacer's coverage of UT Martin sports?
You can find The Pacer's UT Martin sports coverage on its own website, The Pacer, under its Sports section. The page evidence shows a sports item dated September 21, 2026, "UT Martin Volleyball goes undefeated in Skyhawk Classic," by Isaiah Murphy — an example of the game-by-game and event reporting you can expect.
For a concrete next step: open the site's Sports section and scan recent headlines, since campus papers usually group recaps, previews and features there rather than in a separate athletics hub. If you're following one team, such as volleyball, checking after each match weekend is the most reliable way to catch recaps.
What kind of news and campus stories does The Pacer report on?
The Pacer covers student journalism for the University of Tennessee at Martin, with a focus on campus life and Skyhawk athletics. Its reporting mixes university news, sports results and features that matter to students, staff and alumni in Martin, Tennessee.
Typical coverage areas include:
- Athletics: game recaps, season progress and event results, such as UT Martin volleyball's undefeated run at the Skyhawk Classic.
- Campus news: university decisions, student life and issues affecting the UT Martin community.
- Features and voices: profiles, opinion and stories that reflect student experience.
- Community ties: local angles around Martin and the surrounding region.
If you are a prospective student, a parent or an alum, start with the sports and campus sections to see how the university is portrayed week to week. If you are a student journalist, read several issues to learn the paper's house style before pitching. As a next step, look for coverage of a specific team or department you care about and compare how The Pacer frames it against the university's own announcements.
Is The Pacer independent from the University of Tennessee at Martin?
The Pacer describes itself as the "independent voice of the University of Tennessee at Martin since 1928," so it presents itself as editorially independent from the university. That wording signals a student-run newsroom rather than an official UT Martin communications office, which matters if you're deciding whether to cite it as campus news coverage or as an institutional statement.
What "independent" does and doesn't guarantee
Independence is a claim about editorial control, not about funding or legal structure. A student paper can be independent in its reporting while still relying on university-adjacent funding, a faculty adviser, or student-fee allocations. So the label tells you who decides what gets published, but not necessarily who pays for it.
For practical purposes, treat The Pacer as a student news source: useful for campus events, sports results, student government, and local issues, but not an authoritative source for official university policy. For that, go to UT Martin's own site.
A concrete way to check
Pick a recent story — the page evidence shows campus sports coverage, such as a volleyball result from the Skyhawk Classic. Then ask:
- Does the article quote administrators critically or only repeat their statements?
- Are there opinion pieces or editorials that disagree with university decisions?
- Is there a visible editorial board or staff listing?
If yes to the first two, the independence is functioning in practice, not just in the tagline.
If you need to confirm the paper's current funding or governance model — the part "independent" doesn't settle — the masthead or an about page on The Pacer is the place to look, and UT Martin's student affairs office can confirm how the paper is chartered.
How do I contact The Pacer with a news tip or letter to the editor?
The Pacer does not publish a dedicated contact page or newsroom email address in the information available here, so the most reliable route is to use the contact details printed in the paper's masthead or on its website's own contact section. The Pacer is the independent student newspaper of the University of Tennessee at Martin, which means tips typically reach the editorial staff through student media channels rather than a large corporate newsroom.
If you are a student or faculty member
- Ask in the Department of Communications or the Office of Student Publications for the current editor's contact details.
- Check the masthead of a recent print issue or the "About" area of the website, where student papers usually list the editor-in-chief and section editors.
If you are outside the university
- A letter to the editor should generally be short, signed, and include your name and a way to verify it. Newspapers commonly edit for length, clarity, and libel risk, and many require exclusivity.
- For a news tip, lead with the essential facts (who, what, when, where) and any documentation you can share, then say whether you want to be credited or remain anonymous.
Practical next step Before sending, decide which section your item fits — news, sports, or opinion — and address it to that editor. If you are unsure, address it to the editor-in-chief. Keep a copy of what you send and note the date, since student staff turn over each semester and response times can be slow around exams and breaks.
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