[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Life at the U today is different than it was in the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s. Radio has been replaced by flat-screen TVs, and fashion has changed from poodle skirts to short shorts. Academic report cards are no longer printed and sealed for pick-up but posted online for students to access. Instead of getting dolled up to go dancing, students are hitting the new Student Life Center. The U is no longer a circle of buildings, each one dedicated to a certain subject, but a sea of sidewalks guiding students from one area to another.
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Millennials are responsible for some of these changes in style, technology, recreation, academics and infrastructure. So we’re taking a look back through The Daily Utah Chronicle archives to see just how much our generation has changed things from the past.
STYLE
Scanning through pictures from only decades ago, it’s easy to see that different styles have been recycled or adapted to the times. But for Shannel Kruse, a freshman in strategic communication, what has changed more than the fashion is the vocabulary that is associated with the clothing we wear.
“I think as the world has become more developed, the definition of the word ‘modesty’ has had to change,” she said. “We have adapted into wearing types of clothing that previously would have been marked with labels that we would see as ridiculous … Everywhere you go or whatever time period you are in, the way people dress will have subtle or extreme differences.”
TECHNOLOGY
Schools across the U.S. have implemented new ways of learning to keep up with the technologies of the Internet and social media.
“Allowing technology to be a part of campus is hugely important,” Kruse said. “Before, students may have had to write letters home or give a phone call to their parents once a week; now students can send a quick text and check in at how everything and everyone is doing. I love how easy it has become and that I can be connected faster and better.”
RECREATION
The way students exercise on campus has developed and become even more accessible with the addition of new buildings, such as the Student Life Center.
The U also now hosts events, such as Crimson Nights, full of dancing and food — a far cry from the discos that once made the headlines of The Daily Utah Chronicle. Kruse said the way the U holds events has to be partnered with what is popular for the time.
“The reason Crimson Nights and the events that the U hosts are so successful is because the people who are throwing them understand the type of party students will want to be at,” she said.
ACADEMICS
Brittany Rickett, a senior in environmental and sustainability studies, said with the added classes, majors and programs the academics at the U have improved over time.
“We’re heading in a great direction as a higher educational program,” she said. “I like to think that we will only keep heading in a positive direction … The U has something to offer everyone, it’s a good place to branch out academically and find your niche because most of the programs are widely renowned.”
INFRASTRUCTURE
The addition of new buildings across campus has turned the U into a completely difference place than it was in the 1950s. Rickett said although the campus has grown into a perfect place to be during the day, the layout might not be the best at night.
“I feel perfectly safe on campus during the day; it’s a bit sprawled out and the buildings are either really close or really far, but I still feel safe,” she said. “Not as much during the night hours, however. I’m not sure if women felt like that when the U first allowed them to go because crime changes over time.”
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