The student-run newspaper of Western New England University has been providing news for students, by students since 1951. As this is the centennial year for the University, it’s interesting to look back at the progress that the newspaper has made through the years and also check out the current events that roamed the campus so long ago.
Put to press in October of 1951 was Western New England College’s first newspaper issue since their separation from Northeastern University on July 17, 1951. The front page of the rebranded newspaper, WNEC News, holds one of the most historic headlines in the history of our institution: Springfield Northeastern Becomes Western New England College. At the time, the Editor-in-Chief of WNEC News was Rose Riskalla of the class of 1952. She passed away just two months ago.
The front page of that issue also has some demographics regarding the make-up of the college. In 1951, 670 students were enrolled: 211 studied Accounting, 177 studied Management, 250 studied Engineering and Business, and 32 pursued degrees in Law.
In an issue released in January 1952, a front-page story claims that royal blue and gold were deemed the school’s colors due to the popular vote of a student poll.
Later, in an issue from October of 1955, the back page of the paper contains a write-up about the class of 1959. When they entered their fall semester of freshman year, they set a record of enrollment with 246 students— the largest incoming class since before World War II. This issue of WNEC News also reported that the college held a total of 672 students, only 35 of them being female.
A November 1958 issue of WNEC News shares photos of the campus’s first Wilbraham Road building, Emerson Hall, being constructed. The following year, a December 1959 issue states that the building was dedicated to Dr. Robert R. Emerson, who was then the Chairman of the Board of Trustees. He was given a gold master key of the building as a gift during the dedication ceremony.
There have been hundreds of student-newspapers published since the birth of Western New England University, but as we have entered April of the centennial year, The Westerner has reflected on the past April issues that have been published in the last seven decades.
The April 1963 edition of WNEC News shares a lot about the athletic culture of the college. At the time, bowling was a popular sport, and members of the college’s fraternities would compete against other groups within the league. That year, Epsilon Phi Sigma Fraternity won the title.
In 1965, the newspaper of Western New England College broadcasted its new name: The Westerner.
April’s edition of The Westerner in 1972 previewed the construction of the “New Science Building,” currently known as Sleith Hall, which was estimated to cost around 1.6 million dollars. Within this article, the possibility of Biology being introduced as a major is also noted.
The April 1, 1983 edition of the newspaper contained a unique seven-page inclusion: The Worsterner. This April Fools issue held a variety of goofy articles, such as ABC Soap Opera to Film in WNEC Campus Center and Navy Confiscates President’s Car, which was thought to be a nuclear aircraft carrier.
In 1997, April was the time when many historical changes to the College of Arts and Sciences were announced. The Elementary Education major was announced, the American Studies major was approved, and the College’s Honors Program was in the works. In addition, the College had stated its collaboration with Study Abroad programs at American University of Washington D.C. and Regent’s College in London, England.
The Welcome Center was the front page story of the April 25, 2002 issue of The Westerner. It was said to be ahead of the construction schedule, claiming to be completed in July of that year, and since then, it has been home to the Office of Admissions and is many prospective student’s first glimpse of the campus.
And now, the April 2019 issue of The Westerner discusses the newest Senate and Class Council elections, previews the University’s showing of Hello, Dolly by Stageless Players, and recaps the spring break trips of the students that represented the Golden Bear Athletics program in Florida and South Carolina as well as the community service done by students in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The changes to the student-run newspaper of Western New England University over the years are apparent in every issue, and when past editions are brought back into light, the progress that the University has made throughout the last 100 years is even more clear. Yet, there is one thing that hasn’t changed: The Westerner will always deliver news by the students, to the students of Western New England University.