On This Week In History
On this week in history, we will be taking a turn down 1989, the year of cultural phenomena such as The Simpsons, Game Boys, and the World Wide Web.
A scroll through the University of Wyoming yearbooks past leads us to the realization that perhaps UW cafeteria food has always been a point of contention for students at the university, such as a letter to the editor details a pointedly written letter by then-student Susan Vandeventer concerning the quality of food in the cafeteria. The editor encouraged this student, and other students, to bring input on the food to the Washakie director. However, it was clear that students all seemed to remember their time in the dorms as having better food than the current spread, an opinion that hasn’t changed on our campus.
Also in this issue was a letter to the editor complaining about a Valentine’s issue from the week before where the anonymous writer alleged that the Valentine’s column was “degrading men.” This appears to have been in response to the column having indicated desirable qualities in men that women of that year submitted.
Another large story of the week in this 1989 issue was an opinion piece declaring that the University of Wyoming lacks free speech. The Branding Iron specifically had much to say on who can and cannot be criticized. Several ASUW senators allegedly at the time would “run scared” from reporters to avoid seeing their name in print, a far difference from the Branding Iron’s now positive relationship with the school’s student government. In the article, the journalist alleged that she believed that members of the Wyoming Union staff were instructed not to speak to reporters to avoid releasing information.
On that note, the week was not all complaints; the University in 1989 was hosting comedy contests open for students at the University of Wyoming to compete, something the Pokes of 2026 might not be against joining in on now. This contest was being hosted nationwide, and UW was one of 100 colleges selected to host the event to search for “The Funniest College Comedian.”
Let’s all take the chance now to learn from history or take a page out of its book. Go Pokes!
