Jonah Hinebaugh | The Crow’s Nest
By Joan “Sudsy” Tschiderer
When I arrived at the USF Bay Campus in 1969, I expected to remain for one term, the fall quarter, and then transfer to the University of Florida. Now, in fall 2019, I am still here at USF St. Petersburg — and grateful! What an amazing journey.
In those early days, our fledgling campus was an austere yet invigorating place. Despite the Spartan exterior of the former military installation, the inside boasted a warm, scholarly environment. Our faculty and staff were determined to make the state’s first branch campus a quality destination-of-choice for Pinellas students seeking higher education.
Dr. Les Tuttle, our founding dean, and his small but formidable administrative team were purveyors of student opportunities. They solicited our student voice. They gathered us to discuss our expectations of campus life and to learn what programs might enhance our collegiate experience.
One of the first items on our agenda was to develop a basic means of communicating general information, program ideas, and events to our classmates.
Consequently, The Crow’s Nest was born in October 1969 as the USFSP Bulletin. Like the campus itself, it was humble and homey – but it was ours, our expressions, our journalistic incubator.
While the embryonic Crow’s Nest was a purposeful mix of information and whimsy, our student newspaper has steadily blossomed and matured into a sophisticated publication.
I have relished the opportunity to observe the staff experiment and challenge themselves — and their readers — while the Crow’s Nest evolved over the past 50 years.
With enormous pride, as the producer of that first unassuming USFSP Bulletin, I salute and thank the myriad of dedicated student editors, writers, reviewers, poets, contributors, photographers, designers, and their stalwart advisors. You have devoted countless hours to producing The Crow’s Nest. Your service is extraordinary and invaluable. Know that you will always be an essential chapter in the annals of USF St. Petersburg history.
The Crow’s Nest continues to flourish as a master communicator: thoughtfully crafted, expertly researched, and beautifully formatted. In 1969, we never envisioned that the little Bulletin would one day be published both in luminous print and . . . online?
Continue to cherish your student voice. It is a treasure unlike any other.
