Trump antics reflect negative campus climate
March 8, 2016
March 8, 2016 For college students, the presidential campaign seems like a far-off land where a rich bigot and two career politicians are in a street brawl for the GOP nomination, and the two Democratic candidates, one an “email-deleter” and the other a “socialist,” are politely disagr...
Royal Purple takes home nine awards

March 1, 2016
March 1, 2016 For the 2015 season, the Royal Purple was recognized by the Wisconsin Newspaper Association’s (WNA) Better Newspaper Contest as second place in the general excellence category. The general excellence category recognizes the best weekly newspaper at the collegiate level in the st...
Graduate goodbyes: RP memories last a lifetime
December 8, 2015
Dec. 8, 2015 As I sit at the edge at the end of table in the center of the Royal Purple office, I look around at the room that I’ve learned to call my home for the past three years. There’s an ugly couch with questionable stains that’s held up by a cinder block, a creepy photo of a man with the ...
Editor or firefighter?
November 17, 2015
Nov. 17, 2015 When I started with the Royal Purple three years ago, I admired every Editor in Chief before me. I looked at their jobs as glamorous and easy, and I imagined all the ways I could do things better. I wanted the paper to be some shining plaque that represented me as a person. It was so easy to si...
Graduate Goodbyes: Bylines do not matter; coworkers and people do
May 6, 2015
May 6, 2015 The temptation to be cliché and impersonal when writing a goodbye letter such as this is hard to avoid if you are not careful. That is my problem. Four years at the Royal Purple has taken me from a freshman sports staff writer to leading a 30-man staff as Editor in Chief. Ever...
Chancellor search narrows to finalist
May 5, 2015
May 6th, 2015 By Michael Riley The long-standing idiom ‘passing the torch’ will become a reality this summer as UW-Whitewater has five finalists to replace the retiring Chancellor Richard Telfer. UW System President Ray Cross announced the finalists last week Friday with each candidate participating...
App Review: Postmates
April 29, 2015
There comes a time in every 20-something’s life when you look up from your smart phone, turn to your best friend and utter those five amazing words: “I wish Taco Bell delivered.” Cheap tacos and quesadillas brought to your front door in a matter of minutes because you deserve to live like...
Local bar closed after fire last week
March 11, 2015
March 11, 2015 Michael Riley A fire at Fat Jacks Sports Bar & Grill on the morning of March 5 caused an estimated $125,000 in damages but no injuries were reported. The Whitewater Fire Department arrived at 7:42 a.m. at the 146 W. Main St. tavern after a call alerted...
RP takes home 10 awards at WNA
March 4, 2015
March 4, 2015 The Royal Purple took home 10 awards at the Wisconsin Newspaper Association’s 2014 Better Newspaper Contest on Feb. 27. The UW-Whitewater weekly independent newspaper collected two first-place awards, three second-place awards, two third-place awards and three honorable mentions...
Royal Reviews: ‘House of Cards’ Season 3 Episodes 1-8
March 4, 2015
Spoiler alert: story contains plot details from seasons one and two plus insight into the new season of “House of Cards.” Now that I have that disclaimer out of the way, let me give you another: I have not finished the third season. Sadly, adult responsibilities took up my weekend, allowi...
Find the facts: move past the partisan fights
February 18, 2015
Feb. 18, 2015 The UW System will potentially see $150 million less per year for the next two years due to Gov. Scott Walker’s currently proposed cuts. There it is my fellow Warhawks. The line has been drawn in the sand. You must pick your side and go to battle. This is politics and if that...
House fire wakes neighborhood

January 28, 2015
Jan. 28, 2015 By Michael Riley Sirens might not have been the wake up call students were expecting last Friday morning as firefighters battled a house fire on S. Cottage Street. No one was injured, and the two-story house was empty at the time of the fire. The owners and residents were out of...