The Spectrum (USLS)

"THE SPECTRUM"
Type Student publication
Format Newspaper, Magazine, Newsletter, Folio, Book (depending on publication)
Owner(s) The Spectrum Student Media Corps
Staff writers from 25 to 30 (excluding contributors)
Founded June 1956
Language English and Filipino
Headquarters Student Activity Center, University of St. La Salle, Bacolod City, Philippines
Circulation University-wide
Website http://www.thespectrum.ph

The Spectrum is one of the oldest student publications in the Philippines; its history dates back to 1956. Its monthly newspaper, bimonthly magazine, and annual literary folio Scribe are published by the students of the University of St. La Salle in Bacolod City.

History

Early years

In the school year 1956-1957 The Spectrum was born in an exclusive school for boys. That time, the then La Salle College was populated by less than 1,000 from prep to college. The Spectrum came out once every quarter in tabloid form, printed on white paper which was the standard during that time. Although the high school and college shared the same flag for their publications, they had separate issues prepared by their 30-member staff. Oscar L. Hilado (college) and Mario Guariňo (high school) were the first editors-in-chief of The Spectrum. When La Salle opened its doors to female students in 1966, Lourdes Carisma Barredo became the first female editor-in-chief of the publication three years later.

The Spectrum joined the annual Western Visayas College Press Conference and Awards (COPRE) in 1976. COPRE was and is still being sponsored by the Philippine Information Agency under the Office of the President of Philippines.

The first issue of The Spectrum magazine came out when the Fundamentals of Journalism class of 1978 was able to produce it as part of their semestral requirements. The editor-in-chief then was Isabel C. Urra. Two years later, The Spectrum won its first COPRE awards: Western Visayas’ Second Best Magazine and Second Best Filipino and Literary pages.

Post-Marcos years

Right after the ousting of then-president Ferdinand Marcos, The Spectrum produced issues filled with post-Marcos-related articles and pictures of the scenario in the province. In the middle of the 1990s, Scope, The Spectrum’s investigative arm was created, first published as a separate newsletter. Scope aimed to instigate change through investigative journalism so as to improve the university’s academic system.

In 1991–1993, the publication won the COPRE Region 6’s Best Newspaper for three consecutive years paving the way for The Spectrum to grab the most coveted Graciano Lopez-Jaena Award. To accommodate literary pieces in prose and poetry, The Spectrum released its first literary folio – Scribe1995.

After the 1990s

The Spectrum's first editorial staff. School year 1956–1957, University of St. La Salle, Bacolod City, Philippines.

In the '90s, The Spectrum won first place awards in COPRE's categories for newspaper and magazine, besting publications from colleges and universities all over the region.

In 2004, it became the Grand Prize winner of the National Campus Investigative Journalism Award sponsored by The Varsitarian, the official student publication of the University of Santo Tomas. The award was for the Scope section in the July 2004 magazine that featured the “Probing into the STM Program” investigative piece. The article created an impact on the university’s policy regarding the Student Team Managers Program that resulted in its abolition.

In 2004–2005 The Spectrum and its writers amassed a total of 31 major and minor COPRE awards and recognition. In February 2005, the Spectrum Negroswide Campus Journalism Fellowship had its debut. It was participated in by various college and high school campus journalists all throughout Negros Occidental. A year later, The Spectrum fellowship was held again; this time, student journalists from Negros Oriental’s prominent schools like Silliman University and Negros Oriental State University came to participate.

The Spectrum at 50

The publication celebrated its 50th anniversary in the school year 2006–2007 with Ms. Krysl Marie E. Santiago as editor-in-chief. The holding of the 3rd Annual Spectrum Campus Journalism Fellowship was the main event. The fellowship that gathered campus journalists from all over Visayas had Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist and ABS-CBN News Channel host Manuel Quezon III, Palanca awardee and performance poet Angelo Suarez and Peace Journalism Network National Coordinator Jean Lee Patindol, who was the 1988-89 editor-in-chief of The Spectrum, as resource speakers.

The Spectrum in the 2000s

In the 2000s, The Spectrum packaged itself as more than just a publication. It now holds the title the Official Student Media Corps of the University of St. La Salle.

On September 27–29, 2007 under Jeffrey Ordaniel as editor-in-chief The Spectrum reinvented its annual fellowship into "The First National Campus Journalism Conference." It was held at Santuario De La Salle, Bacolod City. The event invited several of the country’s top personalities in the field of writing and journalism to share their expertise and experiences. Among them were ABS-CBN News Channel’s "The Explainer" and Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist Manuel L. Quezon III for opinion writing, Mother Earth Foundation vice chair Chin Chin Gutierrez for the role of media in environmental consciousness, UP Institute for Creative Writing director Carmelo “Vim” Nadera for Filipino writing and nationalism in writing and journalism, Palanca Awardee Angelo Suarez for creative writing and performance poetry, Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism training officer Yvonne Chua for investigative reporting, multi-awarded children’s book author Jean Lee Patindol for peace and conflict journalism, and women’s rights advocate Atty. Rowena Guanzon for gender-sensitive journalism.

The fellowship gathered the most senior Filipino young writers, campus journalists, artists and advisers from campus-based publications all over the Philippines.

In the same school year, The Spectrum hosted the 4th National Lasallian Schools Press Conference (LSPCon 2008). The event featured topics such as peace and conflict journalism, gender-sensitive communications, and nationalism in writing and journalism, among others.

LSPCon 2008 again invited Vim Nadera, two-time Salanga Grand Prize Winner for Children's Literature Jean Lee Patindol, and Palanca awardee and performance poet Angelo Suarez, joined by former magazine editor Jessica Zafra, among others.

Truth Beyond Knowing

2015

Monica Louise Trinidad M. Cueto, former Editor-in-Chief, along with the editorial board, started The Spectrum's 1st ever journalism seminar entitled Truth Beyond Knowing which was held at the USLS. It invited different junior high school publications residing in Negros Occidental.

During the College Press Conference and Awards 2015, The Spectrum magazine October issue themed "Call of the Void" bagged all the major awards in the magazine category: 1st place - Best Magazine, 1st place - Best Magazine Cover Design & 1st place - Best Magazine Layout.

2016

RJ Nichole L. Ledesma, fellow for 2016 Silliman National Writers Workshop in Poetry, is the current Editor-in-Chief of the publication.

Scribe Volume 19: Tales of the Sewer was launched on July 26 at the Museo De La Salle Bacolod. It was the first public launching of Scribe (the official literary folio of the publication) since its birth in 1995.

Notable alumni

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