Hot off The Press: Mundelein College’s Newspaper

Before The Phoenix was seen in stacks across campus, Mundelein College had its own newspaper — The Skyscraper. On Jan. 30, 1931, the first issue of the paper came hot off the press.

Mundelein College, the all-women’s university that would one day merge with Loyola, opened its doors in the fall of 1930 on the grounds of what is now the Mundelein Center for Performing Arts. At the time, it was the first women’s college to be housed entirely within a single building.

The contents of The Skyscraper changed issue to issue, without any real consistent sections. Popular topics, however, included university happenings, local and national news and opinion pieces. The Skyscraper’s entirely student-run staff consisted of journalism students at Mundelein College, although articles in the paper claim that students of any major could join.

For Director of Women’s and Leadership Archives Emily Reiher, the paper is one that’s been studied deeply.

“When we’re looking at the records of different colleges and universities, the stories that emerge are typically on an administrative level,” Reiher said. “This paper is the first draft of history regarding what the student experience was at Mundelein College.”

While many archives from colleges are more technical and factual, The Skyscraper provides an in-depth look into student life at Mundelein College. 

Third-year political science and history major Eva Sias said she values a long-lasting paper.

“Just being able to see Loyola’s history through newspapers is important to me,” Sias said. “It’s a really valuable place for students to be able to speak outside of what administration puts out.”

In The Skyscraper’s final issue, printed May 26, 1969, writer Lynne McKenna stressed her opinion on faculty wages. 

“If you wish to keep a good faculty, you have to estimate approximately an 8 to 10% increase every year in their salaries,” McKenna wrote. “If you want a faculty that comes and goes or you only keep them at minimum salaries, then you could let your good people go and hire somebody else at the minimum salary and keep your tuition the same and have your faculty change.”

Almost 60 years later, Sias holds similar thoughts regarding Loyola professors.

“As students, our tuition goes up every year and I think that sometimes, that isn’t reflected in our educational experience,” Sias said. “Because the payment of professors goes hand-in-hand with our education, it’s really important that tenure and non-tenure professors are paid well for both our experience and theirs.”

Parallels between Mundelein College and Loyola are seen regularly through the observation of both’s student newspapers.

A Skyscraper issue from May 29, 1931 discusses an address Fr. James Mertz gave to the student body of the college.

“Father Mertz knows college students, and he evidently has had experience with eager credit seekers, but with the wisdom of a real educator, he looked beyond to honor points and degrees to the real work of life,” the article said. “Father Mertz’s practical knowledge, observations, and wisdom, coupled with his cheerful, informal manner, made him an acceptable counsellor.”

The Skyscraper shows before Mertz Hall ever existed, students at the old school appreciated the personality of the person it was named for. The Phoenix, too, explains student’s opinions on Mertz —  just in a different context — in an article published April 5, 2023.

“I’ve never met a person in Mertz I don’t like,” student Roarke Unaru said in the article.

Reiher said she believes the frequency of the paper’s issuing served as leverage for its widespread, developed voice.

“This was a publication that came out often, typically every week or biweekly, so it made for such a strong student voice,” she said. “There’s something about this constant influx of a student newspaper that creates a consistency where we can really see that voice over time.”

In its inaugural issue, The Skyscraper explained its mission.

“The Skyscraper will be one of Mundelein’s liveliest activities, and a powerful factor in molding college spirit,” the paper read. “It is entirely a student project. The editorial staff has been selected from the members of the journalism classes, but anyone from any department may contribute, and is most cordially invited to do so.”

By 1939, The Skyscraper was one of 22 student-run organizations on campus.

Like The Phoenix, the newspaper prioritized student voices. As a student-run newspaper, The Skyscraper was editorially independent and able to choose what they wanted to publish. 

“Seeing Mundelein College’s history through the paper is really beneficial for institutional memory,” Sias said. “And, keeping track of issues through different issues of The Phoenix is equally important for future reference.”

The Skyscraper published its final issue in 1969 after 38 years in print. While several newspapers followed in its place, none at Mundelein College lasted as long as the original. 

In 1991, the college closed its doors for the final time before merging with Loyola. Its legacy continues through records preserved by the Women’s and Leadership Archives. 

“When the newspaper ceased publication in 1969, the next official student newspaper at Mundelein wasn’t created until 1984,” Reiher said. “In that interim time, there were many other smaller publications that came about — but none of them had the impact that The Skyscraper’s tenure did.”