Kentucky Kernel Goes Digital Only for Rest of Semester, Last Print Edition Out Today
LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 24, 2020) — With the majority of students leaving the University of Kentucky campus due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) response, the Kentucky Kernel will be running one more print edition this academic year, and after that, the student newspaper will be fully online for the rest of the semester.
"For this unprecedented moment, the Kernel staff decided to turn out one more print newspaper to be distributed on-campus for those students who are moving out and for those faculty that have to continue to work on campus,” said Rick Childress, Kernel editor. “The paper was remotely produced. Those delivering the paper will wear gloves and will do their best to observe social distancing from others.”
The print edition is out today, Tuesday, March 24. For those who are not on campus, the digital “issuu” version can be viewed here: https://issuu.com/kentuckykernel/docs/kernel_march_24__2020. For the rest of the semester, the Kernel will also offer these digital editions on issuu each week. The Kernel will continue to publish stories online at www.kykernel.com/, and it will continue to communicate through social media and its email blasts. To sign up for an email blast, visit: www.kykernel.com/email_subscription/. You can also follow the Kernel on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
“I’m not sure if at any time in the Kernel’s more than century-long history has the newspaper been forced to stop printing in the middle of a school year. But with students leaving campus and with local businesses barred from incoming foot traffic, the print Kernel no longer has a place to land,” Childress said.
He expects the newspaper’s online to be as busy as ever.
“The Kernel will continue to deliver its 24/7 daily online coverage and is going to ramp up our output of email newsletters so that no matter where you’re waiting out this pandemic, you can still stay up to date on University of Kentucky news,” Childress said. “This pandemic will undoubtedly create new challenges for the university and its students that the Kernel, as the university’s independent student newspaper, will be specially equipped to tell.”
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.