As Sidelines enters its 100th year as a publication, a group of Sidelines alumni, alongside its current editor-in-chief, will present on a panel during MTSU’s Homecoming week.
Panelists include Sidelines alumni like Sarah Grace Taylor, a former editor-in-chief now employed with the Nashville Banner; George Walker, a former staff photographer who is now with the Associated Press; David Chamberlain, former sports editor, now with the Americana Music Association; Eric Jackson, former graphic designer and current MTSU faculty member; and Noah McLane, student journalist and current Sidelines editor-in-chief.
The panel is part of Sidelines 100, a project showcasing a century of student storytelling at Middle Tennessee State University.
The panel will celebrate the history of Sidelines and student media at MTSU, as well as provide a look into the future of Sidelines. Attendees should expect to hear about the experiences of panelists’ education at MTSU and their time on Sidelines staff, as well as the careers Sidelines trained them for. For example, Taylor covers state politics, and before her time at the Nashville Banner worked for the Chattanooga Times Free Press and POLITICO.
Jackson, a former Sidelines graphic designer, is an assistant professor of Media Design at MTSU. Chamberlain’s role with the Americana Music Association is as its Marketing and Media Relations Coordinator.
Sidelines 100 plans to highlight 100 stories from the newspaper archives this fall and spring in addition to the panel, through social media posts, photos and articles from the archives.
The panel, titled “Sidelines 100 and Beyond: Where Student Media Can Take You,” will take place on Sept. 18, 2025, at 1 p.m. in MTSU’s Parliamentary Room.
To contact the Sidelines 100 editor, email sidelines100@mtsusidelines.com.
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