The Koala (SDSU)

Infobox Student Newspaper
colour = #d9d9ff
name = "The Koala @ SDSU"

caption =
school = San Diego State University
type = College newspaper
editor = Zachary Campbell
advisor =
location =
owner =
frequency = Monthly
price = Free
circulation = 6,000-8,000
format = Tabloid
printer =
awards =
address = SDSU, San Diego, CA, U.S.
website = http://sdsu.koalahq.com/

"The Koala" is an irreverent satirical comedy college paper distributed primarily from the "Free Speech Steps" on the campus of the San Diego State University. All of "The Koala"'s funding comes from advertising. It was spun-off in 2004 from The UCSD Koala which was founded in 1982. The composition of the paper consists of humorous artwork, articles, personals, party reviews and lists similar to David Letterman's Top Ten List. It is notable for being the only student-created alternative to the official campus newspaper, [http://www.thedailyaztec.com The Daily Aztec] .

All of "The Koala"'s writing is intentionally politically incorrect. The paper has made fun of/attacked every race, ethnicity, religion, group, people with disabilities, sex, and sexual orientation, as well as recent national tragedies.

List of controversies

Although The Koala at SDSU does not have the long tradition of riling up the reading public as its sister paper at UCSD it has garnered some media attention due to articles and personals that were published.

* In May, 2008, there was a personal printed in the paper that stated "Frat boys, the DEA is after you". This edition was printed Monday, May 5th. The main raids of fraternity houses and student housing from the DEA Operation Sudden Fall occurred in the early morning hours of Tuesday, May 6th. The same day that the paper began being distributed on the SDSU campus. The personal was submitted anonymously and who sent it was never identified. [ [http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/articles/2008/05/07/this_just_in/192koala050708.txt] ]
* In November, 2007, "The Koala" created a stir on campus over a personal that was printed. A staple in The Koala, the personals are written by students and often aimed at other students. One was printed that contained an insult aimed at gay campus administrator Doug Case. [ [http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/14588965/detail.html] ] A town hall meeting was called in order to discuss the issue. Koala writers attended and met face-to-face with those who criticized the publication as printing a "hate crime and a terrorist threat." [ [http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/14606668/detail.html] ] There was also a "Rally Against Hate" organized by the SDSU Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Student Union in order to further confront the issue and intolerance on campus. [ [http://www.10news.com/news/14768910/detail.html] ]

References

External links

* [http://sdsu.koalahq.com/ The Koala @ SDSU]
* [http://koala.ucsd.edu/ The Koala Online]