A History of Underground Papers at BYU
Brigham Young University is no stranger to independent student publications.
Indeed, students at BYU have been distributing unsanctioned papers and pamphlets for over one hundred years. The largest and most well-known was the Student Review, a massive student paper publishing nearly 15,000 copies a week during its peak in the late 80s.
These publications have taken a variety of different forms. Many of them were short-lived, with only a few issues. Others were so large they were sold in the BYU Store or distributed from newsstands on the edge of campus. Almost all of them, however, arose from a similar place: a desire to subvert established university institutions and to create an independent student voice at BYU.
The earliest known independent student paper at BYU was published in 1906, three years after Brigham Young Academy changed its name. They named their paper The Radical. There was only one issue, and it was 32-pages long. In it, students demanded a cafeteria and additional library resources like more librarians and periodical subscriptions.
The next underground paper to come out of BYU was an anonymous gossip column published in the 1920s.
Throughout this early period in university history, BYU’s official papers battled with administrators over academic freedom and their independent editorial stance. Miraculously, they were able to maintain almost complete autonomy until 1960. That year, President Wilkinson’s administration blocked the Daily Universe from publishing a 3D rendering of upcoming campus construction plans. Don Woodward, then an editor at The Daily Universe, replaced the censored photo with a strongly worded editorial. The administration took issue with his tone, and blocked Woodward’s editorial as well. The Daily Universe left the editorial space blank in protest.
By the early 70s, The Daily Universe was prohibited from writing articles on everything from criticism of BYU policy to Vietnam to “acid rock music”. While most college campuses in the United States were protesting the War and wearing bell-bottoms, BYU was more conservative than ever under President Wilkinson and President Oaks. This is the period when President Oaks instituted the beard ban, a reaction to the hippie movement that was taking hold across the country.
Naturally, several independent student papers developed at BYU during the 60s and 70s. These papers were overwhelmingly anti-war, anti-conformity, and anti-establishment
Zion’s Opinion was perhaps the most well-known among the Vietnam-era student papers that came out of BYU. For eight months, volunteers at the paper distributed copies to every student they could find. Zion’s Opinion covered a variety of topics, most notably the benefits of a free press. When Zion’s Opinion published excerpts from BYU’s 1966 accreditation report, President Wilkinson even considered suing the paper. He had been withholding the report from The Daily Universe and the student body.
President Oaks had a particularly turbulent relationship with the independent student press during his tenure at BYU. He was even caricatured as a cartoon drill instructor in a military uniform in one of the papers.
These publications were eventually followed by the Seventh East Press, which set a new standard for student press at BYU. As the legend goes, Seventh East Press co-founder Ron Priddis sold his car to finance the paper in 1981. They had a real office in Provo, and they were even permitted to sell copies in the BYU Book Store and to operate newsstands on campus. Support for Seventh East Press ran out in 1983 when the paper published a controversial interview in their religious column with an academic critical of Joseph Smith. Seventh East Press was expelled from campus and their paper died not much later. One professor left BYU in protest.
The Seventh East Press model, however, lived on.
In 1986, The Student Review was founded as an independent alternative to The Daily Universe—an alternative that would learn from Seventh East Press’s mistakes. The Student Review centered its operations off-campus, and it attempted to maintain a neutral forum for students of all perspectives. Poking around the abandoned Brigham Young Academy building, SR staffers found production supplies for printing and chairs they used to furniture their office. According to Student Review cofounder Bill Kelly, the Student Review published 15,000 copies per week during its peak, distributing them from the edge of campus. The paper primarily covered campus life and local news, and they initially avoided pieces on religion and LGBT issues. The SR ran strong for over a decade and was ultimately followed by several others.
Prodigal Press is the latest in a series of independent BYU publications going back more than a century. By all accounts, these papers have left an enduring legacy on BYU students and faculty. They have the power to promote new ideas, strengthen the intellectual marketplace, and push the envelope on important social issues.
Independent student media is an essential bastion of free thought and intellectual freedom at a university where free speech comes with an asterisk.