San José State University Student Publications Collection
Owning Institution: San José State University, Special Collections and Archives
About this Collection
Student publications have been an essential part of campus life at San Jose State University since its founding. They document such topics as athletics, student organizations, and social and intellectual activities. Many feature original works such as plays, poetry, short stories, and essays, as well as news reporting and publicity for campus events. Publication formats include literary, feature, and humor magazines, club and organization newsletters, and guidebooks on a variety of topics. The collection includes materials published from 1880 through 2004. These publications often reflect the culture of the era when they were published. Some content that would be viewed as humorous and conventional for the period could be considered racist, sexist and possibly offensive by our current cultural standards.This digital collection continues to be added to and includes the following titles: El Portal (1932-1940); El Toro (1935-1936); The Normal Index (1885-1891); Sparta Life (1966-1969); and Spartan Spanker/Spasms (1926-1929). The content varies by title and each publication covers a range of topics related to the college curriculum as well as recounting student life, campus events, and alumni news. Humor magazines like the Spartan Spanker/Spasm and Sparta Life were very popular in the early 20th century. For additional information about using images in this collection, contact the SJSU Special Collections Department. View this collection on the contributor's website.
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