Throughout the 1960s and 1970s there was mounting pressure from students for more control over the Argosy, not just in terms of content, but in vision and direction as well. In 1971, the Argosy Review Commission submitted a 43-page report to Mount Allison University recommending that the publication should be "an independent university newspaper, student-oriented and student-run which presents news, opinion and comment relevant to its readers." Furthermore, it urged that
The Argosy Weekly "should strive to inform its readers - occasionally to reform them or their institutions. Minority opinion and rights should be respected. No article should be printed without adequate factual basis."
In 1977, the Argosy successfully became the first independent student newspaper in the Atlantic provinces. It achieved independence from both the university administration as well as the student union when it incorporated as Argosy Publications Inc.
The students who made up its editorial staff and contributors enjoyed much more freedom in what the paper could do. This led to the Argosy shifting its mandate to focus more on news from the Sackville community, while still seeking to promote the connection between faculty and students.
Overall, the Argosy's time as an independent publication has been part of a period of change and experimentation. One lasting and popular tradition made possible by their newly-independent status was the annual (sometimes biannual) publication The Anarchy, the Argosy's satirical alter ego. While it is unclear when exactly it was first introduced (the earliest copy in the archives indicates that it was preceded by others), it remains to this day a reflection of the spirit and character of the Argosy and the countless student journalists it has fostered.
The Eurhetorian Society's lofty goals of promoting literary culture and improving public speaking skills and social advancement are in many ways still being fulfilled by the Argosy, its greatest legacy, 150 years later.