About

WHAT IS THE ROTUNDA?

The Rotunda is Longwood University's student newspaper, informing the Longwood and Farmville communities since 1920. The Rotunda publishes online weekly and in-print monthly. The Rotunda distributes throughout Longwood, including in magazine racks in nearly every building on campus. Primary distribution racks can be found in Upchurch University Center and Dorrill Dining Hall. The Rotunda's Office is located in Upchurch 204 — holding organizational meetings on Monday nights at 7 p.m. All are welcome.
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HISTORY OF THE ROTUNDA

The Rotunda was founded as Dummy in 1920.

"Why another 'dummy' with over six hundred of us already here?", the first staff wrote, led by Editor-in-Chief Helen Skillman. "We want our paper to stand for loyalty to the Normal School [now-Longwood University] and to uphold the real ideals which she represents and the aims toward which she strives. When we see mistakes made we shall advocate coming out in the open and talking about them and we shall try to suggest means to correct them."

In the Nov. 16, 1920 edition, the Editorial Board officially announced it had found a name — The Rotunda, named for the heart of student life at the Normal School. Over time, The Rotunda would continue to publish through World War II, the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement and other major historical events in the 20th and 21st Centuries. It would eventually take shape as a news magazine during the 2010s.
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