Nearly a year after the relaunch of the journalism program at San Antonio College, the digital newspaper where student journalists publish their work has been named The Sundial.
The college’s original student newspaper, The Ranger, was closed in December 2021 when the Alamo College’s District put SAC’s journalism program on pause.
SAC held a contest to select the newspaper’s new name during the Spring 2024 semester. The Ranger was named after the college’s former mascot. SAC’s mascot was changed to the Armadillo in 2020 after Mexican-American Studies students raised concerns about the origins of the Texas Rangers.
In an announcement introducing The Sundial, journalism program coordinator Jim Dalglish said SAC students, faculty, and staff submitted 252 names for the contest.
Ethan Rocke, an adjunct professor for SAC’s journalism program, submitted the winning proposal.
“A sundial harnesses the sun’s light to tell time, informing and empowering people,” Rocke said in the announcement. “This function symbolically reflects the crucial role of journalists to illuminate truth in a free society.”
Four student editors and three SAC faculty members selected 10 finalists from the initial list of 252 submitted names. A committee of professional journalists who were on the staff of The Ranger while they were students at SAC narrowed the 10 finalists down to five. The current student editors and faculty members made the final choice.
There’s a long history of student journalism at San Antonio College — the first edition of The Ranger was printed in 1926.
The Sundial is now available to read online.
