SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio College journalists will no longer publish The Ranger newspaper, which students have written and read for 95 years.
The publication moved online in 2019, but budget cuts and disinterest in journalism will force the paper to cease operations after this semester, editor-in-chief Sergio Medina said.
Associated Collegiate Media recently recognized The Ranger as one of the nation's Top 100 student outlets.
"Over the past three years or so, the faculty have seen lower numbers of enrollment in journalism classes," he said, explaining that the paper has drawn on those students to write and report.
A once-bustling newsroom has fallen quieter, he said. The Ranger's three faculty advisers will retire at the end of the year, as well.
After budget cuts in 2014, the program no longer receives state funding for "unique needs classes."
Without students or advisers, operations cannot continue.
"You think to yourself, 'Oh my God, I'm writing what may potentially be the last chapter of this 95-year-old institution,'" Medina said.
"You don't expect something like that to happen. I certainly didn't," he continued.
San Antonio College president Dr. Robert Vela said in a statement that the school does not intend to discontinue student journalism.
"We are exploring many avenues that will make sense for the SAC community and keep student journalism thriving on our campus," he wrote. "The intention is to have it remain a vital component of the total learning experience at SAC."
School administrators are meeting now to determine how to proceed.
"This is not just another academic program that gives a grade to students," Medina said. "This is an institution that has a history."