“[1931]… witnessed the birth of The Campus Criterion, with the first issue of the student newspaper appearing on October 9 on letter-sized paper, typed and hand-drawn, and edited by George Hillyer. It wasn’t until spring of 1934—when Walter Walker’s nephew appealed to his uncle for assistance printing the student newspaper—that The Criterion appeared in typical newspaper print and format (D'Ambrosio & Lummis, 2025, p. 27).”

D'Ambrosio, A. J., & Lummis, K. (2025). Colorado Mesa University: A century of the maverick spirit. The Donning Company Publishers.

The paper was alternatively called Campus Criterion, The Junior College Criterion, Mesa College Criterion or Criterion of Mesa College until settling on The Criterion in the late 1970s and subsequently The Colorado Mesa University Criterion after the college adopted “university” in 2011.

At present, The Criterion is student run and maintains a faculty advisor. It publishes eighteen editions throughout the academic year on Wednesday.