Ah, Valentine’s Day. The day certainly brings out a variety of feelings! Whether you love love, hate love, or just want to stick with a mild version of like, Valentine’s Day has always been the time to express those feelings, whatever they may be.

A fun way to see how students on campus felt about Valentine’s Day is through the personal ads in The Westerner. Published specifically on the holiday, these short messages were placed by students, usually anonymously, to other students (partners, friends, crushes, etc.) Some are sweet, some are sappy, and some are not quite as kind! But they are all entertaining to read!

If you’d like to get in the Valentine’s mood, take a look through these Valentine’s personal ads from 1980. And as always, if you’d like to read more, check out the University Archives Digital Collections!

Looking for some new reading material to get you through the rest of winter? Check out our newest collection in the Archives’ Digital Collections!

Many graduates of Western New England like to keep abreast of the goings-on at the University after they’ve left. One way alums have kept these ties strong over the years has been the alumni newsletter turned alumni magazine, The Communicator.

The publication began as a short mailing, typically 4-8 pages, detailing new appointments on campus, class notes, donor information, sports schedules, Greek news, and other noteworthy topics. In the 1990s, the publication got a makeover and was elevated to something more akin to a magazine publication than a newsletter.

The earliest issue we have in the archives is from the Fall of 1968. Although according to the masthead, this issue is Volume II, Issue I, which means the first issue was presumably Fall 1967. If any readers out there have a box of WNE memorabilia with copies of The Communicator from 1967, let us know!

You can currently view issues from 1968 – 1983 online now. Keep checking back as the collection grows, and also keep an eye out for the Law School alumni magazine, Perspectives, which will be making its digital debut soon!