UofL will celebrate student newspaper’s 100th anniversary with free public event

By Paul Fultz

In celebration of The Louisville Cardinal’s 100^th anniversary, the University of Louisville will hold a public talk on Friday, Oct. 23 honoring the centennial.

“To have survived and thrived for 100 years is remarkable,” said Ralph Merkel, adviser for UofL’s independent student news source. “The Cardinal has survived a lot of turbulence in the past 10 years. We truly thought we would go out of business. But we pivoted to digital only and continue to grow and thrive online. The Louisville Cardinal is so important to the University and its students. The Cardinal tells stories from the student perspective, which can often be lost.”

The event is free and open to the public and will take place in UofL’s Student Activities Center from 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM in Room W116/117. Light refreshments and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided free of charge.

The financial difficulties Merkel referred to occurred in 2017, when UofL announced it was pulling its financial support for the publication. The community and The Cardinal’s alumni rallied around the paper, which was able to retain enough financial support from UofL to carry on publishing. The Cardinal ceased publishing a weekly print edition in 2020 in the wake of COVID. It is online at http://www.louisvillecardinal.com.

Cardinal Editor-in-Chief Vinny Porco said the publication continues to provide the University community with outstanding reporting and an invaluable student perspective.

“What makes The Louisville Cardinal so integral to the UofL community is its niche,” he said. “We know the university mechanisms and are able to give special attention to stories that other local publications might miss. Students can see themselves represented in human-centric features, hot-button opinion pieces, Cardinal sports write-ups and the news stories that matter most to them.”

Porco will speak at the event, which will also include a panel discussion featuring alumni from throughout the publication’s history.

A special print edition celebrating The Cardinal’s 100^th anniversary will be distributed at the event. Porco said he and his staff are excited about producing the issue.

“This will mark The Cardinal’s first endeavor back into print in over six years,” he said. “To the staff, it means recreating the pride of holding our journalism in-hand that nearly a century of college journalists got to enjoy. To the community, it means remembering what it was like to have The Cardinal around campus, there for you to pick up instead of having to type in a URL.”

George Taylor Jr. is one of the founders of The Louisville Cardinal Alumni Group, an organization formed in February to help support The Cardinal and celebrate its history. Taylor, the paper’s Editor-in-Chief in 1993-94, said he’s excited about the gathering and can’t wait to see the print issue.

“I know all the alumni are grateful that UofL and The Cardinal are putting on such a wonderful event,” he said. “We’re looking forward to it, and the fact that there will be a commemorative print issue is icing on the cake. Print isn’t dead and neither are we, so let’s celebrate!”

After the event, the Louisville Cardinal Alumni Group will host a get together at the Clifton Tavern (formerly Hilltop Tavern), 1800 Frankfort Ave, 40206, from 9:00 PM – Midnight. Porco said he’s grateful for the support The Cardinal has received from alumni and everyone else who’s had a hand in the publication’s success.

“This centennial is only happening because of people, the same people that made The Louisville Cardinal happen for 100 years,” he said. “The support of our wonderful alumni, faculty adviser, editors and staff means the world.”