''The Signal'' is the weekly student newspaper of

Ouachita Baptist University Ouachita Baptist University (OBU) is a private Baptist university in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. The university's name is taken from the Ouachita (pronounced WAH-shi-tah) River, which forms the eastern campus boundary. It is affiliated with the Arka ...

Arkadelphia Arkadelphia is a city in Clark County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,714. The city is the county seat of Clark County. It is situated at the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains. Two universities, Henderson ...

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. The newspaper is published every Thursday during the academic year and is printed by the

Hope Star The ''Hope Star'' was a Monday through Friday daily newspaper serving Hope, Arkansas, United States. It was founded on January 18, 1929, from the merger of the ''Star of Hope'' and the ''Hope Daily Press'' newspapers. The ''Star of Hope'' was foun ...

. The print edition has received the Gold Medalist rating from the

Columbia Scholastic Press Association The Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) is an international student press association, founded in 1925, whose goal is to unite student journalists and faculty advisers at schools and colleges through educational conferences, idea exchang ...

, and the online edition has received a Pacemaker award from the

Associated Collegiate Press The Associated Collegiate Press (ACP) is the largest and oldest national membership organization for college student media in the United States. The ACP is a division of the National Scholastic Press Association. It awards the newspaper, mag ...

.{{cite web , url=http://www.obu.edu/masscomm/practical-experience/ , title=Practical Experience {{! Communications , website=www.obu.edu , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019115148/http://www.obu.edu/masscomm/practical-experience/ , archive-date=2012-10-19 In 2013, ''The Signal'' was named runner-up by the Arkansas College Media Association for top newspaper and top website in the state.

History

The first issue was printed in March 1890, making the publication the oldest university student journalistic effort in the state of Arkansas. ''The Signal'' began as a combination newspaper/literary magazine known as the ''Ouachita Ripples'', published monthly. On Sept. 22, 1917, the publication changed its name to Ouachita Baptist College ''Signal-Ripples''. "Ripples" was later dropped and the publication became known as ''The Signal''. The word "Signal" was chosen during the world war period because signals are what keep us together and fighting for the same cause, according to a letter in the first issue with the new name. The letter continued: :"The signal of Napoleon's drummer boy snatched victory out of defeat. The signal toward which every loyal American today looks is the flag of the United States. ...Just as the signal on the streams, bays, gulfs and seas are lights which bear those in ships away from the shoals, the rocks and the icebergs and lead them along safe paths of the deep to the sure harbor at the shore, so the Ouachita ''Signal'' is a light to those gliding along in the midst of societies toward the harbor of intelligence and cultural perfection." ''The Signals website
www.obusignal.com
launched in 2007, and an interactive eVersion of the newspaper launched in 2012. Back issues of the newspaper are archived in Riley-Hickingbotham Library's Special Collections department.

References

Student newspapers published in Arkansas