Cover Story
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Michael Martinez '12 |
The Varsity News, a 95-year campus tradition
The Varsity News (VN) is one of the University’s oldest student groups. The student newspaper originated in 1918, as “essentially and entirely, a venture of the students themselves,” a mission it has maintained to present day. The inaugural issue stated that “24 boys subscribed a sum of money to finance the attempt with the express provision that if it failed, they failed, but if it succeeded, under no circumstances could they receive more than their investment. Their action, then, cannot be construed otherwise than as an unselfish effort to fill a long-felt need of the University.” The VN’s longevity is evidence that the need remains today.
University records indicate that 750 living alumni were introduced to the inner workings of a newspaper by working on the Varsity News, and likely hundreds more who are no longer with us were involved as well. The paper’s first editor-in-chief was Paul V. Kennedy ’18. Some of the University’s most notable alumni wrote for, helped publish or served as an editor of the Varsity News, including the University of Detroit’s 17th president, Celestin J. Steiner, S.J. ’20, Detroit Free Press retired Special Features & Syndicate Editor John Smyntek ’72, former The Detroit News Editor and Columnist Luther Keith '72 and former Detroit Free Press Publisher Neal Shine ’52.
Another Varsity News alumnus who is making his mark in the field of journalism is Michael Martinez ’12. Martinez served as sports editor, co-editor and editor-in-chief, of the Varsity News consecutively from his freshman to senior year.“It’s extremely important to get involved in a group,” Martinez said. “I was a shy freshman. I didn’t know anybody on campus. I had to put my name and face out there. The press pass was my ticket in. I got to talk to the president (of UDM), the coaches and to professional athletes.”
During his senior year at the VN, he noted, “The staff was as close as it’s ever been during my four years working on the student paper.” Martinez’s clips from the Varsity News opened the door for him to serve an internship at MLB.com, where he spent a summer in Manhattan and interviewed big-name players for the New York Yankees. It also helped him get his current job as a business reporter for The Detroit News.
As an intern, he had several bylined, front-page stories for The Detroit News, including a story on how the hockey strike affected Detroit businesses that ran on the front page on the day the NHL strike ended.
Along with his exceptional talent as a writer, this opportunity was made possible through his experience working on the Varsity News.
