Student Newspapers

Since its first active semester of Fall 1959, Oakland University has had a student newspaper. First called The Oakland Observer, the newspaper operated from North Foundation Hall and was written, edited, and published by students under the guidance of OU faculty and staff.

In Fall 1969, students voted not to continue to be assessed for a student newspaper, which caused the The Oakland Observer to cease publication. It was replaced by Focus Oakland, an independent publication supported exclusively by advertising revenue, which started with a magazine-style format but quickly moved to newsprint to cut costs.

From September 1975 to April 1987, The Oakland Sail was sponsored and funded through student fees. In the fall of 1987, the newspaper changed name again and became The Oakland Post, owned and operated by the Oakland Sail, Inc., a non-profit company that is independent from Oakland University.

Today the student newspaper is funded through student fees and advertising revenue.

Over the years, the frequency of the newspaper's printing has varied. It has typically operated under either a weekly or a bi-weekly schedule during the academic year, with some odd issues over the summer.

More information on the history of the newspaper.

How to search the collection

The student newspaper digitization project was made possible with support from Library Professor Emerita, Janet Krompart and her family in honor of Library Professor Emerita, Linda Hildebrand and with permissions from the Oakland Post governing board (January 2017).

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