Hidden in a tiny closet inside room 217 in the Plemmons Student Union, nine decades of history is recorded on weathered pages and hundreds of newspapers. 

Since 1934, The Appalachian Student-Run Newspaper has documented the history of App State, Boone and the greater High Country, and this small closet — filled floor to ceiling with newspapers, yearbooks, rolls of film and more — holds it all.

The Appalachian was told by Student Affairs that we have to clear out this space. According to Student Affairs, this decision was made years ago, but due to leadership changes in The Appalachian, Department of Communication and administration, communication about the move was unclear. The timeline proposed by Student Affairs indicates we need to clear out of this space by the summer.

Since the majority of the information on these pages is not digitized and therefore unavailable online, our staff will be losing access to this vital history.

University milestones such as the first Founders Day, the iconic Michigan upset, prominent figures coming to campus, and more have been covered. Our pages highlight the achievements of our student body and faculty, and remind us of the people and places we have lost. Major national moments such as the beginning and end of World War II, the Vietnam War, the 9/11 attacks and more are documented in the pages of The Appalachian.

Though plenty of coverage since our paper’s creation can be accessed online, losing access to its original print format would mean losing the voices accumulated over the past 90 years. If The Appalachian’s staff loses access to the archives, the general public does too. Losing decades worth of reporting would be detrimental to the organization, our mission of serving the community through reporting and to preserving history. History cannot be forgotten. 

Why print? Why does this matter?

Since its creation, print media has been, and will be for decades to come, one of the most important industries in the world. It is a way to update readers on national and local happenings, voice opinions of both journalists and the outside world and bring light to stories that otherwise would have stayed in the dark.

Print media has been on a steady decline recently, with news sources primarily posting online content. However, as we have seen in weeks past, websites can easily be erased with no evidence they ever existed, according to the New York Times.

A popular quote in the industry, which has been attributed to different prominent journalists, is that journalism is “the first rough draft of history.” 

Since the 18th century, journalists have used the print medium to disseminate crucial information on a daily basis — the “first rough draft.” Reviewing these first drafts reflects the changes across time to societal norms and values and paints a clear picture of history.

As journalists, we have a responsibility to report fairly and accurately and be a voice for those who cannot otherwise be heard. We have been doing that for nine decades, and the majority of this reporting is seen in our print editions. With no set plan for where the last 90 years of history will go, The Appalachian’s Editorial Board is deeply worried about one thing: history being forgotten. This history cannot, and will not, be forgotten.

What’s next?

At the time of publication, there is no official plan for what will happen with the papers in the archive room, referred to as “The Morgue,” a term coined by journalists. 

Assistant Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Jeff Cathey said “Appalachian State history recorded in the stored copies of The Appalachian is of value to the entire institution,” and we agree. However, Cathey said the student union is “not the best long-term archive solution for The Appalachian.”

The Morgue features specific ventilation, automatic lighting, raised ceilings and built-in shelving, which is required to properly store archived newspapers, according to Smithsonian Institution Archives. In essence, this space is best equipped to properly and efficiently store 90 years worth of archives. 

During a meeting with Cathey and Beth Holcomb from the Office of Campus Activities, the following possible solutions were discussed: digitizing the papers, moving them to Hickory, or the “standard practice” of moving to a warehouse space near campus — which may not meet the preservation environment requirements for such old artifacts.

Our newsroom does not have the space for our archives, so it comes to no surprise that alternative options would include relocating off-campus. 

The Appalachian has met with the university library’s Special Collections Research Center to digitize the papers from 1998-2011, plus any other time there may be a gap in digitized content, which are only available as print copies. Digitizing that much content would be a very time-consuming process, with the minimum being over a year. 

In the event we go the digitization route, the next question is where will the papers be stored while the process happens? Special collections is only accessible during specific hours of operation. The proposed Hickory storage is not only an hour away, but it’s a room full of shelves, similar to a warehouse. Any accessibility The Appalachian may have will be physically locked away. 

Losing accessibility is a scary thought. It is crucial to access our history at any moment to reflect and learn so we don’t repeat it. History cannot be forgotten.

The next obstacle is the extensive labor required of this task. Regardless of when we are expected to relocate, this is still a seemingly impossible task to have completed, considering the hundreds of fragile papers, nearly every copy of The Rhododendron — which was App State’s official yearbook — film, large shelves and more that are stored in that space. 

Holcomb said Campus Activities will offer their manual labor, which we are appreciative of. However, due to the volume of the archives, this remains a daunting task. 

What we need 

We were told we need to come up with a program statement of needs to move forward. Ideally, we would remain in this space. The Appalachian Editorial Board believes what is currently in this room is of the utmost importance. Although storage for other departments is a need, we feel if anything is stored here, it should be the history that has been here since at least 1993.

If we are moved out, the points below are our remaining requests. 

• Staff accessibility — both in terms of hours and location — to where the papers end up being stored, if stored at all.
• A controlled storage environment that will preserve the papers. This means a dark, dry environment.
• Clear communication from Student Affairs and upper administration. We request frequent updates on any changes or conversations made regarding our archives.
• Physical labor. We will need all the help we can get to move everything out.
• If at all possible, more time. 

If we are removed from this space, let that be a testament to how history, culture and transparency are being removed in other places throughout both App State and the country at large. We understand this is a storage issue at the end of the day, but this history faces the risk of being lost in the process. As journalists, it is our job to be watchdogs and to document what happens around our communities. We’ve done it for 90 years and we’ll do it for 90 more. For the sake of serving our readers, App State and our community, The Appalachian will not stop reporting.

The Appalachian Editorial Board will not allow a loss of space equate to a loss of history. The Appalachian thanks all of our readers and supporters over the years, and we deeply hope this history remains accessible for the betterment of all. 

History cannot be forgotten, and it will not be erased.