A True Blue look at student life through the decades

Life at UB didn’t always work the way it does today.

From handwritten registration forms and typewritten class notes to payphones and print periodicals, the day-to-day dealings of the campus community were once far less “instant” than they are now.

To celebrate some of the conveniences we might take for granted, UBNow is revisiting the university experiences of past eras (click on each photo to reveal which decade it’s from). See what surprises you—or perhaps even jogs a True Blue memory.

Now, there are one-stop centers like 1Capen for students to handle whatever tasks can’t be done online. Back then, everything from financial aid to registration to tuition payment was a time-consuming process of paper forms and manual submissions. Long lines were an annual source of grumbling. Heading to the bookstore was its own adventure — it was the only place students could purchase the books on their extensive reading lists all in one trip.

Now, web and email are the main conduits of information, but it wasn’t always so. In 1926, the Freshman Handbook advised its readers to “watch the bulletin boards,” as it was “usually the only means of reaching students.” Magazines and newspapers were once plentiful around campus; in the 1940s, there was a Browsing Room where students went to read all the latest. In the early 1980s, a telephone service known as the Direct Information Access Line (DIAL) offered pre-recorded reports on topics of interest to students, including a joke of the day.

Now, the UB Stampede and shuttle bus fleet can comfortably get you where you need to go, with a real-time tracker available online, and UB Bikeshare supports eco-friendly commuting around campus. Though the means of transport were largely the same back in the day, the vibes were decidedly more retro: Blue Bird buses and ten-speed bicycles. 

Now, platforms such as Brightspace, Zoom and Copilot make presenting, capturing and sharing class material easy. Pre-digital age, it took a little more work. In the 1920s, students could rent typewriters for $3 a month. In later years, they could purchase notes for their classes conveniently from the campus copy shop. And forget just packing up a laptop: Even through the 1990s, desktop computers were kept in a room all their own.

Now, there’s UBLinked and a varied calendar of events to keep students busy. Early on in UB history, some of the most popular events were formal dances — sometimes held twice in a day — and afternoon teas. Decades later, downtime might have been spent at the campus arcade — picture Pac-Man and pinball, rather than today’s Level Up gaming arena and lounge. In some ways, things haven’t changed. Hanging out with friends has always been a very True Blue thing to do.