Iowa State’s award-winning ethos Magazine has reached its 50th anniversary, and will celebrate with a special issue dedicated in part to this milestone occasion and to the publication’s changes over the years.

Anne Rosso, ethos’ editor in chief, said she is geared up for the commemorative issue, which will be distributed the first week of February. She said the magazine has come a long way since its first appearance.

“I’m really proud to be a part of this,” she said. “It really is a big deal; an anniversary or birthday issue for ethos never has been published.”

Rosso said she and ethos’ Managing Editor Sara Weber initiated the idea for the commemorative issue, which will include excerpts and photos from past issues, including stories during the Vietnam War and the Persian Gulf crisis.

“We decided [the issue] would be perfect for the occasion,” Rosso said, adding that it would help demonstrate “where we come from and where we’re going.”

She said one purpose behind the anniversary issue is to dip into the history of ethos because the magazine’s past is part of its uniqueness. “I’ve been really fascinated to look at its history,” Rosso said.

Ethos’ roots date back to November 1948, when it began as the Iowa State Scientist, a magazine designed for Iowa State College’s Division of Science. According to a press release, the Scientist debuted as only the second college science magazine in the United States and as the youngest divisional magazine at ISU.

The inaugural issue of the Scientist touched mainly on educational topics such as the use of the electron microscope in ISU’s scientific research, the benefits of hypnosis and atomic energy contributions from the Atomic Institute during World War II.

In addition, the Scientist’s first issue covered a few public interest areas, such as problems with the class registration system, nightly programs aired on WOI-TV and speech improvement.

Issues published in the late ’40s and early ’50s followed a similar pattern of the original publication. Although its pages focused mainly on science, The Scientist also featured book reviews, entertainment previews and fiction.

By 1963, the Scientist had grown past its devotion to science, and its staff opted to select a new name to embody what the magazine had become — a publication dedicated to the people, trends and developments of ISU.

Rosso said a contest for renaming the Scientist was held that year, and an ISU student won $25 for dubbing the publication “ethos,” which is defined in Webster’s New World Dictionary as “the characteristic attitudes and habits of an individual or group.”

Rosso added that the shift to a general interest campus magazine took a while to catch on, but readership gradually escalated.

In its first decade as ethos, the magazine drew attention to national concerns that impacted ISU students. Coverage ranged from politics and race to suicide. And as it aged, ethos appeared to deal with more liberal issues.

Elaine Hollensbe, a 1979 alumna and graduate research assistant at the University of Kansas, said ethos broke ground during her stint as editor in chief from ’77 to ’78. She said the magazine published a special edition dedicated to sexuality in the spring of 1978.

Hollensbe said the issue included myths about venereal diseases, the new sexuality course at ISU, homosexuality and the abortion debate. She added that the focus on sexuality was a risky idea at the time.

“People were not as open about things like homosexuality,” she said. “We went out on a limb.”

Although the edition caused a stir, Hollensbe said it produced mostly positive feedback.

“The issue was professionally done and very cohesive,” she said. “We handled it well. I don’t remember anyone complaining. I thought it was interesting that we got rid of more issues than usual. In fact, there were a lot of requests for reprints.”

In spite of support for ethos over the years, however, the magazine has encountered its share of controversy.

Tom Emmerson, professor of journalism and mass communication and ethos staff adviser, remembers one ethos story from the early ’80s that made headlines in both The Des Moines Register and the Iowa State Daily.

Emmerson said the story, a feature on incest, sparked complaints from a secretary in Beardshear Hall who challenged the article’s morality.

Hollensbe cited another heated incident while she was editor. She said an ethos photographer had snapped a picture of a lesbian student for a story about homosexuality with a promise to touch up the photo, so that only the woman’s silhouette would appear.

But Hollensbe said a mistake in photo development revealed a clear shot of the woman, who was recognized when a Daily employee caught a glimpse of it. Although the woman threatened to sue ethos, a lawsuit never materialized.

“We got through it pleading naivety,” Hollensbe said. “It was a reality lesson in terms of privacy.”

Hollensbe said working on ethos can be an excellent experience for students. She said ethos sharpened her leadership skills and gave her confidence to rise in the work force.

“I received a lot of hands-on experience that was really [valuable] to me,” she said. “I developed a sense of self-confidence.”

Rosso said a special quality of ethos is that it is entirely student run, and a majority of the staff works without pay. She said higher positions at the magazine began receiving paychecks just last year.

“I’m impressed [with the staff]. This takes a lot of enthusiasm,” she said.

The main goal behind ethos today involves furthering the magazine, Rosso said. Chief objectives include increased circulation, exposure and funding for the publication.

“We want to be able to stand on our own, not rely on [Government of the Student Body] financially,” Rosso said.

Adding to ethos’ list of achievements is a number of awards. Rosso said the publication has been honored several times in the past years by the American Scholastic Press Association, Columbia Scholastic Press Association, Associated Collegiate Press, Student AEJMC Magazine Contest and the Society of Professional Journalists.

She said ethos is a great source of pride and that individuals in the ISU community who haven’t experienced ethos are missing out.