The history of the Clarion

200 students gathered around the firepit at Citrus one day after the assassination of MLK. 

“Are you willing to say what you believe knowing that you may be killed? Will you alienate yourself from your parents, friends?” 

The question was posed to white students as Black students questioned their sincerity. 

Historical events. Censorship challenges. Homecoming festivities. Lawsuits. Elections. Celebrity appearances. Historical events. 

The Clarion has covered it all through the years. 

Since 1947 the Clarion has had one purpose, to serve the community. 

However this was no easy task, with multiple censorship challenges, interview strikes and faculty backlash the Clarion still prevailed. 

As the Clarion has dealt with criticism, the newspaper has multiple aspects that left and joined as the paper evolved. 

• Polls: The Clarion would conduct polls, regarding questions about the school. These polls then were used as data for an article in the next edition, recapping both sides. 
• Letters to the editor: When sent a letter, the Clarion staff would include it in print editions to acknowledge and share the letter. 
• Paper scheduling: The Clarion has alternated from a weekly, biweekly and tri weekly paper.
• Color print: Originally published in black and white, the Clarion has spent more years without color than with. The transition to color print was slow, for years color was only printed on the front page until 2015 when the entire Clarion included colored ink. 
• Featured sections: As society has evolved, the Clarion has gone with it, feeding readers demands. The Clarion has included recurring sections of: what is trending on social media, popular ted talks, local, state, national and global news, local crime reports, trivia quizzes, campus questions and national election coverage. 

Beginning as the Citric Acid, changing into the Collegiate Owl then the Clarion, the newspaper much like the college has a long history. 

Citrus College was originally operated by Citrus Union High School District, functioning as both a junior college and high school. 

During this time period, the paper was named the Cougar Growls with Joan White as the advisor. 

The Clarion has been supported by many advisors through its time consisting of Lee Walker, Janice Rawson, Meg O’Neil, Jim Gulli, Stacy Long and Patrick Schmiedt.

Here are the editors-in-chief for the Clarion and the Collegian Owl dating back to the fall of 1964, which is the extent of the Clarion’s print archive: