The St. Thomas Standard was founded in the fall of 2003 by Katie Kieffer and a group of like-minded students who shared the common goal of providing a source of free and rational debate at the St. Thomas campus. See the About Us section for more details. The paper was published quarterly and received much attention from students, professors and staff at St. Thomas. Our thought-provoking articles and speakers events caught the eye of local and national media giants such as Power Line Blog, Fox News, the St. Paul Pioneer Press, The Mitch Berg Show and AM1280 The Patriot radio.
Many have expressed their gratitude for the new venue of thought that the paper created. The editorial staff addressed current events and politics at the university, local and national levels from a conservative perspective. From our Letters to the Editor alone, it was evident that the issues covered in the paper hit home with many students as well as provoked passionate commentary and debate from others.
The paper was entirely staffed by volunteers. These students were dedicated to the conservative cause, and wanted to empower other like-minded students to freely express their views on campus. The staff wrote letters to U.S. troops, organized rallies to support the life of the unborn, distributed pins and posters in remembrance of former President Reagan, created Christmas ornaments for Pearl Harbor Veterans, and hosted on-campus “Remember 9/11” events to name a few.
On Monday, April 18, 2005, we brought conservative pundit, Ann Coulter, to St. Thomas with the help of the Young America’s Foundation! She was well received by a standing-room-only crowd, and told us afterward that she really enjoyed speaking at our campus. This event received national media coverage and our staff held itself with unapologetic dignity in the face of intense pressure from liberal college administrators. Please visit Power Line Blog’s archives here and here to learn more. This leads us into…
We are proud of our work with the St. Thomas Standard and our archives. We made a positive difference on college campuses and provided forums for intellectual debate and discussion that otherwise would never have been created.