Throughout the early 1970s, THE HOYA and The Voice discussed the possibility of merging in an effort to create a nimbler, more effective student newspaper. Due to philosophical differences, it never happened. But in 1974, Georgetown’s student government tried to force the newspapers’ hand.

On Feb. 8, 1974, THE HOYA reported that an appropriations committee had voted unanimously to force a merger between the two newspapers despite strong protests from students.

Student senator Glenn Corbett (CAS ’74) cited fiscal responsibility and “the poor quality of journalism at Georgetown” for the move.

“The competition between the papers was destructive,” he said.

THE HOYA would not take this threat to its existence lightly. In an editorial in the same issue, two staffers accused the student government of “paranoia.”

“Mr. Corbett has been hatching this gem for a coupe of years now,” they wrote. “Could it be that he and his committee are so desperate for a legitimate achievement that they have decided to leave this as their lasting legacy?”

In the face of strong protest from student journalists and the student body, the student government would eventually back down and both THE HOYA and The Voice would retain their respective financial appropriations. The two newspapers would remain separated and they retain their separate identities to this day.