BUnow Magazine: A Brief History of the Bloomsburg Huskies: 2022

Table of Contents

Fall Student Orientation, 1966

Carver Hall, 1911 02

After a two-year hiatus, BUnow is proud to publish the 2022 issue of BUnow Magazine, with a focus on the university’s history and legacy.

04-05 What’s in a name?

The Other Pandemic

06-07

Enrollment Through the Years

08-09 Go Huskies!

12-13 History of The Husky

14-15

Timeline of BU

16-17

Presidents Through the Years

18-19

Integration: Brave New World

20-23

An Everchanging Campus

26-27 A Day in History: Bloomsburg Block Party

Carver Hall under renovation, 1994

30 Credits & Staff

January Commencement, 1958 03

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hat’s in a name?

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loomsburg University has gone through many names in the past before arriving at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania in 1983. With the new title of Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania being the moniker chosen to represent the Northeast Integration project between us, Mansfield and Lock Haven; it seems time to take a look back at the history of our institution and the many names it has held.

The first institution of education in any form was a school house built in 1802, soon after the founding of the Town of Bloomsburg. Pa.’s General Assembly passed the Free School Act in 1834 which provided free education to all children. In 1838, a plot of land in what is now downtown at the corner of West 3rd and Jefferson. This is where Bloomsburg Academy was founded, completed in the spring of 1839. This wasn’t a college or university quite yet. This was closer to a high school, and a number of co-educational schools operated under the same name and in the same building over the decades. These students were educated in a typical classical education common in the 19th century, including education in ancient Greek and Latin. For the last three years of its existence, the school was known simply as Bloomsburg High School before closing in 1854.

There isn’t exactly a clean line from 1839 to the present day, but our next name to investigate is the Bloomsburg Literary Institute, founded in 1866. Henry Carver, whose name might sound familiar, happened to stop in Bloomsburg while recovering from a hunting accident. A native of Binghamton, N.Y. who was teaching in California, saw something special in this town.

He along with his eldest daughter, Sarah Carver and the local Lutheran minister Rev. J.R. Dimm, among others, founded this school on the same land we currently use. This name was technically chartered in 1856, but no institution was using the name until Carver. Its purpose statement from a newspaper ad said: “The founders of this institution intend that it shall be second to none in the facilities it affords young men, for acquiring a thorough Commercial and business education or in preparing for any class in College; or in the advantages it affords young ladies for acquiring a Useful and Ornamental Education.”

Bloomsburg’s next chapter comes with the transition from a literary institute to a state normal school. A “normal school” is an institution for educating teachers, and Pennsylvania’s normal school training began in Millersville in 1857. Every PASSHE university today was once a state normal school. Columbia County was part of the state’s sixth district, and the location of a normal school was still to be determined. By 1868, the campus expanded eastward to make room for the school’s first dormitory. Official recognition as Bloomsburg State Normal School came in 1869, under the leadership of Henry Carver. This was the first permanent institution of education in Bloomsburg. During this period the campus expanded to include a new dormitory (after the first one burned down in 1875), among other projects including a gymnasium, athletic field and finally Main Street opened up to Institute Hall (now known as Carver Hall). The school colors were originally chosen as maroon and lemon in 1895, also referred to as garnet and lemon.

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By: Aaron Sudia Boivin

By 1908 maroon and gold road opened up, Institute Hall school. By 1926 the Normal bachelor’s degrees, just before

were BSNS’s official colors. With the became the defining landmark of the School was allowed to grant students the next title the school would hold.

Eight state normal schools were converted into state teachers colleges, which were allowed to grant four-year degrees, in 1926. The name was officially changed to Bloomsburg State Teachers College in 1927. Students were still allowed to take two-year certificate programs until 1933. College curriculum was changed so students would take general education credits in their first two years, then their teacher training would be in their last two years. The college expanded education into business, special, science and other areas of teacher training. BSTC would live through the Great Depression, WWII and would celebrate its 100th anniversary.

In 1960, Bloomsburg dropped the “Teachers” in its name and transitioned into Bloomsburg State College. BSC would see many changes over the decades, including expanded curriculum, campus expansions, etc. Technology would also come to be an important part of education at BCS. The school started to offer Master’s of Education degrees in new subjects like foreign languages and social studies. This era would also see the unrest of the ‘60s and ‘70s, between the Vietnam War, tuition hikes and a number of power struggles within the college administration. Social fraternities also began during the BCS era, with Sigma Iota Omega being the first social Greek Life organization on campus in 1964. Diversity on campus also grew, with the founding of student organizations for Black students and efforts by the sociology department to improve race relations between students and the college administration. In the 1980s, the school would enter a new era.

The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education was established on July 1, 1983, and all state colleges were converted into universities. This of course included Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. In 1985, the Center for Instructional Systems Development (eventually known as the Institute for Interactive Technologies), which helped to educate students in computers and new emerging technologies. The university also attempted to regulate smoking on campus in 1989 in an effort to improve campus health. The first computers that allowed access to electronic databases for students were installed in the library in 1993. The university’s website was launched in 1994, and was improved throughout the spring 1995 semester. In 1997, the university began an effort to wire internet access into every building. New programs and degrees were also introduced, including a new M.S. in accounting and an adult nurse practitioner program. Campus would change significantly, with renovations and new buildings including, but not limited to: new dorms, new recreation center (1995), library (1998), academic buildings and upgrades to Upper Campus. By 2010, BU had an enrollment of 10,091.

With the announcement of the Northeast Integration, many questions remain about the new era Bloomsburg is about to enter. Bloomsburg was chosen to be the anchor for the integration between us, Mansfield and Lock Haven. Higher education had to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic, and now BU will have to adapt to this new era of three schools under one administration. Officially, all three schools will be known as Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania. However, each campus is expected to retain their individual identities rather than be molded all into one. Whatever happens, Bloomsburg is entering a brave new world. What’s in a name?

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he Other Pandemic By: Aaron Sudia Boivin

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he Town of Bloomsburg has been through multiple pandemics in its over 175-year history.

Over 100 years ago the world was plunged into the 1918 influenza pandemic, which killed from 25 to 50 million people around the world. We’re currently living through the trauma of the most recent pandemic, COVID-19.

In 1918, Bloomsburg was hit with the influenza pandemic like much of the world. At this time the school was still known as Bloomsburg State Normal School.

Thirty-four cases were reported in one day; however, the normal school’s medical staff were able to handle the situation. Like with COVID-19, a quarantine was placed on the entire town of Bloomsburg on Oct. 4. Classes did continue however, but no students residing on campus were allowed to leave the grounds. This also meant that students living in town were unable to attend. A total of three students died from the 1918 influenza. The quarantine was lifted on Nov. 9, and public places were able to reopen again. All of this happened in the backdrop of the First World War, in which a number of Bloomsburg students served.

The origins of the 1918 flu virus are less than clear, but the first cases in the United States were reported in the U.S. Army training facility Camp Funston in Kansas on May 4, 1918. The virus reached the East Coast by March 11.

The term “Spanish Flu” was a common misnomer, because one of few countries to independently report on the effects of the pandemic was Spain, a neutral country during WWI.

“Views of Normal” - Page from 1919 Orbiter Yearbook

The school has had to deal with disease many times throughout its history. Another influenza epidemic which originated in the Soviet Union was dubbed the 1977 “Russian Flu” and hit a number of Pennsylvania colleges during this period.

Bloomsburg, and the world, is still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. With the mask mandate and lifted and the lockdown restrictions a thing of the past, it might seem like the virus has run its course. Indeed the lockdown for the 1918 pandemic was much shorter than the lockdown for COVID-19, but the data shows us that we aren’t quite out of the woods yet.

Image taken from a Suquehanna Valley newspaper. This drawing was circulated by many newspapers across the country.

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06

Enrollment Through The Years

By: Ava Stasen

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ince its inception as The Bloomsburg Literary Institute and State Normal School in 1869, Bloomsburg University has been a coed campus. The first students tackled mathematics, English, geography, chemistry and French, and set the course for students that would follow in their path obtaining a higher education.

As enrollment grew over the next twenty years, notable trends would emerge. The campus community began to diversify, with Native American students enrolling in classes beginning in the 1890s. Students from Cuba and Puerto Rico would join, enrolling in 1898, and soon students from Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Costa Rica would follow.

Enrollment did not drop below 700 students between 1907 and 1917, and women made up most of these students at the time. In 1910, 527 women attended the university, while the highest number of enrolled men was 320 in 1909. Despite women far outnumbering the men, they still were subjected to differential treatment. Women had to enter through the back and side doors of the dining hall, while men could enter from the front. Additionally, women were not permitted to use parts of campus after supper. Walking or sitting in pairs was prohibited and intimate behavior of any kind was forbidden.

In 1912, the campus would further diversify, as the first known African-American registered as a student.

Helen Parks would go on to become the first AfricanAmerican graduate from Bloomsburg.

Bloomsburg native, Helen Parks was the daughter of Harriet and John Frank Parks.

She graduated from the local high school in 1912 and had long-held plans to become a teacher.

Helen graduated from Bloomsburg State Normal School in 1915. While a student, she was active in the Philologian Literary Society and the Young Women’s Christian Association. Described as quiet and reserved, Helen was well- liked by her classmates. Upon graduation, Helen was determined to work with prominent leader, educator and author Booker T. Washington at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.

A close connection with Professor Charles Albert, along with her undeniable talent, would lead to Helen achieving her dream, and being hired to teach at the Tuskegee Institute, now Tuskegee University.

The United States’ entry into World War I would slow and drop enrollment. In 1921, enrollment dropped to 500 with only 78 of these students being men. Women would continue to attend Bloomsburg, and the postwar years saw a relaxation of restrictions on women as it pertained to dress and association with male students. Additionally, women would begin to embark on the early years of collegiate athletics in 1926. As enrollment rebounded, opportunities expanded, and women were able to take classes in physical education and letter in sports.

However, the stock market crash of 1929 and the following Great Depression would soon disrupt campus life. In 1932, the number of incoming freshmen was reduced greatly and then admissions were halted. The 1940s saw enrollment affected heavily by World War II, with many potential male students serving in the military and many women choosing well-paying jobs in the defense industry. It would not be until 1956 that enrollment would reach over 1,000 students. Today, Bloomsburg boasts a campus of over 7,800 students. According to the National Student Clearinghouse, for every two male students enrolled in college, there are three women.

This gender gap in education has been slowly building for decades, starting in the late 1970s.

At Bloomsburg University, this gap is not only present but widening even as enrollment declines. During the 2021-2022 school year, 61.87% of enrolled students identified as women.

While men still hold a majority of those enrolled in business school, women have edged ahead in medicine, law, master’s as well as doctorate degrees. The graduation gap, which compares the completion rate of degree programs, shows that women are far more likely to graduate than men once enrolled.

Lock Haven University and Mansfield University also have campuses where women outnumber men. As these universities integrate with Bloomsburg, there are many unknowns. If the past is any indicator, one thing seems for certain: the future (of education at least) is female.

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Go Huskies!

By: Joshua Evans

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ong before Saturdays of college kids flooding the bleachers with maroon and gold at what’s now known as Danny Hale Field at Redman Stadium, Professor Warren H. Detwiler became the founder of Bloomsburg University’s football team.

He simultaneously played right half back for the team, which was allowed back in 1892 due to no player restrictions.

Its football team was relatively successful up until the First World War. They even played against Penn State for the only time in their history, losing 10-0.

Like the country itself, after World War II BU’s football team was in a rebuilding state, until they hired Robert B. Redman as the head coach. In 1948 the Huskies enjoyed their first undefeated season and tied for the Teachers College Conference championship with California State Teachers College, now known as California University of Pennsylvania.

The football field was named in his honor in 1974.

Robert B. Redman

In 2000 the Huskies had arguably their best season ever. They won nine straight games and carried their momentum to the Division II playoffs where they went on to the national championship game in Florence, Ala. With a recent NCAA decision to keep the integrated universities’ brands, logos and athletic teams separate, students at Bloomsburg University can look forward to rooting on the Huskies for generations to come.

Bloomsburg loses to Mansfield, 1964

Bloomsburg Huskies, Fall 1971 (left) 08

Bloomsburg’s first football team, 1892

Fall 2007

Huskies, Fall 1997

Homecoming Football Game, 1965

Bloomsburg wins against West Chester, 1960

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BSC Cross Country, 1969 Cheerleader with Roongo, 1994

Game Day, 1954

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View of Campus, 1968

Hess’ Tavern, 1997

Science Hall, 1949 11

History of the Husky By: Aaron Sudia Boivin

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he Husky has been the symbol of Bloomsburg University for almost 90 years. Roongo is on our merchandise, our buildings, our team jerseys, seemingly everywhere.

We even named Roongo’s Cafe after him. But when and why did Bloomsburg choose a husky as our mascot?

The Husky has had a nearly nine-decade history of representing Bloomsburg University, and we suspect it has a long history ahead of it as our school’s mascot and iconic symbol.

In 1933, students at Bloomsburg State Teachers College voted for the Husky to be the school’s mascot. Students were inspired by art professor George Keller’s locally renowned dogsled team.

Professor Keller’s dogs raced at the homecoming football game hosted that year, and the winner was selected to be BSTC’s first mascot. This was the first dog named Roongo after the school’s colors.

The Oct. 13, 1933 edition of the student newspaper said: “The selection of the Husky is particularly appropriate since that animal has all the noble, faithful, persevering traits which any college team would do well to develop.” According to the university athletics, five dogs served as our mascot until 1958. The university went without a physical mascot until a costume was designed in 1979, bearing the name Roongo, after the original dog trained by Professor Keller. Since then, we’ve also had five costumed mascots. We’ve had our current mascot costume since 2005, and there seems to be no plans to change. The iconic Husky statue outside Carver Hall, which many students pet for good luck on exams, was unveiled on Oct. 27, 1984 during Homecoming weekend.

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Students at Homecoming, 1963

Husky Mascot, 1984

Photo by Eva Wozniak

Roongo I with student Al Watts, 1934

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University Graphic by Aaron Sudia Boivin

Warren SSC, 2006

Field Hockey vs Kutztown, 1984

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y Timeline

Homecoming Queen, 1965

Greek Week, 1970s

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By Sean Carney

By: Sean Carney 17

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ntegration: Brave New World?

By: Olivia Antonucci

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he “power of three” has become very relevant to the town of Bloomsburg lately. It was announced this year that Bloomsburg University, Lock Haven University and Mansfield University have decided to join forces and form the Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania. It has gone through many different phases to get approved by the Board of Governors and this process was started in the summer of 2020.

Now almost two years later we will be fully integrated by July 1, 2022.

The school will now work under one administration and be looked at as three different campuses. So, for example, a student can choose which campus to attend such as Bloomsburg but will be able to take a course through Lock Haven and Mansfield and vice versa. This will help students expand their knowledge through what different campuses have to offer.

The things that will not be changing according to the universities’ websites will be their athletic teams. If you play soccer for Bloomsburg you don’t play soccer for the other campuses.

The NCAA has been made aware of the integration and has made the decision to stand with the three schools’ decision to continue to be their own sports teams and have their own identities instead of combining sports teams.

In terms of the academic side of things, the Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania will have five new colleges. They will be the Zeigler College of Business, College of Education and Human Services, The College of Health Professions, The College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, and The College of Science and Technology. As mentioned earlier, each student will be able to take courses at any of the three campuses. This includes mostly in-person classes at the student’s home campus while they also have the ability to take real-time online classes through the other campuses. Gen-eds will be offered through each campus.

Photo by Eva Wozniak 18

Photo by: Eva Wozniak

Larissa Blazer, junior, said that she “honestly doesn’t care, in the sense that it doesn’t really affect [her] as of now and if it gives students the chance to expand their coursework then [she] thinks the university should go through with it.” As one junior admissions student worker, Hannah Kassim, stated, “As tour guides we have a lot to know and remember as we are now one admissions office. It will be tough but I think it’s a good idea.” There are a lot of mixed reviews of the integration; some think it’s a positive development, others think it isn’t the best idea and some simply don’t care.

BSC Honors Graduates, 1970 19

An Everchanging Campus By: Katie Rose

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ust as the student body has changed over time, so too have the campus grounds themselves. What began as the Bloomsburg Academy housed in a small building on Jefferson Avenue and Third Street is now a sprawling university. Nestled on 366 acres, with upper and lower campuses, the Bloomsburg University of today even extends into downtown Bloomsburg with the acquisition of the Greenly Center on Main Street.

The campus we know now originated when the Board of Trustees looked to move their Literary Institute in May 1866. They purchased three acres of land on the east end of Main Street at the top of a hill. The Board elected Henry Carver as principal of the Institute. Carver was allotted $15,000 for the design and construction of the main building. That building, Institute Hall, or Carver Hall as we call it today, was completed in time for the following spring term and dedicated on April 4, 1867. Less than two years later, the Bloomsburg Institute transformed into the Bloomsburg State Normal School.

The campus grew by 10 acres and a dormitory with teacher training rooms. In February of 1869, Bloomsburg was the official home of the State Normal School of the sixth Pennsylvania district.

A dormitory fire on Sept. 4, 1875 displaced students and caused another campus expansion. The entire building was destroyed in two hours, but luckily no students perished. By the end of April of the following year, the school dedicated a four-story replacement dormitory in honor of President David Waller. A two-story building, later named Noetling Hall after longtime faculty member William Noetling, housed the new model school for the teachers in training.

The following decades brought countless changes to the campus landscape. Multiple plots of land expanded the campus in the late 1880s. Bloomsburg’s leaders purchased three-and-a-quarter acres of land “holding a large grove of trees” along Lightstreet Road and eight lots of land on Second Street in 1888 and 1889.

It seemed the campus would keep growing, both in physical space and student enrollment. Between 1890 and 1895, the Board of Trustees took out loans to keep pace with the ever-increasing construction projects. Due to teaching more students, the institution built a larger library and dining room, and even added a wing and a porch to the dorm. The gymnasium moved from Institute (now Carver) Hall to a newer facility in the annex.

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Employees even got their own building—they previously lived in the main dorm. With so many working buildings in use, the need for a boiler house arose; as such, one was built along Penn Street in 1898 to provide heat for the campus.

Construction projects were not limited to buildings.

Tennis courts were ready for recreational matches by 1890, situated to the east of the dorm on Second Street.

In 1895 an athletic field ran north of then-Institute Hall and became home to the football team. A high-board fence stood at the north end. There was also a baseball diamond and a grandstand in this area, too.

The Board of Trustees was yet still ambitious. They made plans to build a home for the principal, a science building and a new sports field. Originally, their eyes set on the tennis courts to be the site of the principal’s home but the former home of Charles Buckalew, a Pennsylvania lawyer, diplomat and politician, went up for sale and the Board jumped on it. Buckalew’s former home became home to Judson Welsh and his family in 1904. Today, President Bashar Hanna resides at Buckalew Place; it has been the official home of the institution’s head figure since 1922 (after Principal Welsh’s family moved out and before 1922, the house was rented out).

Campus Map, 1913

Another fire struck a building on Feb. 4, 1904. This time, the top two floors of the employee dorm were victim to the flames. After reconstruction and following remodeling, the structure repurposed itself into a student dorm renamed North Hall. It was the men’s dorm by 1925 and until 1960 when the “new North Hall” was completed. We know that building as Northumberland Hall today.

Over five additional acres of land along Lightstreet Road and the west side of Spruce Street gave Bloomsburg the space it needed to erect a science building and a new field. The $75,000 building used the old athletic field as part of its site and the new field went on some of the recent land purchase.

Class gifts, too, found their way to the campus scene.

The class of 1916 donated the Pergola that visitors can see just north of Old Science Hall today. A World War I Memorial, a gift from the class of 1919, can also be seen in this area today. Sixteen pine trees in the shape of a six-pointed star stand tall on the hill near Carver, Schuykill and Old Science Halls over 100 years later.

The memorial commemorated the lives of 16 Bloomsburg State Normal School students who died in World War I. Professor Oscar Bakeless, for which the Bakeless Center for the Humanities is named, helped bring seven beautiful stain glass windows home to the campus. You can try to find out for yourself if all seven windows are still scattered around campus today. A few Tiffany windows also found their way to Bloomsburg from Boston in 1918 and 1919. They were installed in the dorm annex in 1920 to celebrate both Dr. David Waller’s retirement and the 50th anniversary of the Normal School’s first class of teachers.

While the last decades of the 19th century and first two decades of the 20th century were bustling, a lull was to follow. Over 15 years passed without new construction.

World War II negatively impacted enrollment.

Then came the renovations. Centennial Hall was finished and the old gym turned into a student recreation center, home to social activities, a bookstore, and a snack bar by 1955. The rec center became fondly known as the “Husky Lounge” and was the cool place to be until the ‘70s. Students would go there to meet up, hang out and relax, much like students today kick back and watch a game on the TVs in Kehr or get together with friends for a quick bite to eat.

Carver Hall, now known as Institute Hall at this point, housed the new administrative center. The president’s offices and other prominent officials’ offices migrated from Waller Hall to Carver. Before this, Carver Hall was a space for classrooms; the new renovation meant those rooms would be gutted and replaced with a new lobby,

conference rooms and major offices.

Once more, student numbers increased in the ‘50s. By then, the institution was known as the Bloomsburg State Teachers College. Campus needed to expand, again. The college set aside money for a new dining hall and library.

That is when Commons laid itself over the old tennis courts. The first meal was served in April 1957 and the first books in the updated library were loaned out in early 1958. More construction soon commenced in the following years in order to accommodate the projected influx of students. John Schell developed a historic first-of-its-kind comprehensive campus plan; no other Pa. state teachers college had such plans devised. Schell divided campus into three major areas: living, learning and recreation.

What enrollment projections originally estimated to be 2,000 students by the year 1970 turned out to be majorly lowballed. Over 6,000 students were anticipated by 1975.

More students meant more buildings and more land.

Seventeen buildings rose up on Bloomsburg’s campus between 1964 and 1976: six dorms, two academic buildings, two athletic facilities, two administration buildings, an auditorium, library, commons, student union and a parking garage.

Today, Bloomsburg is comprised of the upper and lower campuses, with Upper Campus being known for upperclassmen apartment-style housing and the Steph Petitt Athletic Complex. However, this designation was not always in the cards. Originally, the plan was to use the upper plots of land “as a second campus for a junior college of freshmen and sophomores.” In 1966, administration axed those plans, as the general thinking was it would not be wise to separate the student body in such a way. Not only would it be inappropriate, but many facilities and amenities would have to be duplicated, and what would be the point of that? Thus, the powers in charge decided to instead resurrect the new athletic facilities there. The initial facilities were a field house and gym, football stadium and baseball field.

A new commons started construction in 1968 and a bigger student center was dedicated in May of 1973. Both were necessary to serve the nearly-doubled student body.

An area of concern that still creates headaches today, parking, was addressed, too. A lot more students meant more vehicles coming to campus to learn and to serve the students’ needs. The college bought and tore down five houses to convert the area into a three-level parking garage—everyone’s favorite Tri-Level. Bloomsburg Hospital rented one of their lots to the school to aid in treating the parking ailment.

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Bloomsburg State Normal School, drawing 1869

1957 Campus Masterplan

Upper Campus Football Stadium, 1974

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The booming and blooming period of rapid growth and countless construction projects fizzled out after the dedication of Redman Stadium in September of 1974. Some buildings were demolished and some new ones built, but overall, things slowed down. College community members begged for a human services academic building and library additions. Unfortunately, not many funds remained to provide what needed to be added after the two-decade era of growth. The James M. McCormick Center for Human Services was built and dedicated in 1984, almost 10 years delayed from the first pleas for it. A footbridge over Lighstreet Road came to be in 1985 to provide a safe pathway for students to go between the main campus and their parking lot.

Scranton Commons received a renovation and expansion in 1992. Atriums could then accommodate an additional 200 students. Kehr Union, too, got such an upgrade. A ballroom with a 600-person capacity was added to Kehr. The building was rededicated in 1993, along with a renovated Carver auditorium. A new $5.6 million student rec center opened in February 1995, offering students a much-needed 56,000 square foot space to exercise and have fun.

The campus library had long been neglected. It was “the priority project for the campus since the mid-1980s” and was inadequate since the early ‘70s. The problem, though, was the state legislature did not approve funding until 1988. Even that was not enough. Finally, in 1996, after raising millions in private donations, the ground was broken for a new library.

Completed in May 1998 and dedicated in the following September, the new four-story, stained glass-adorned library is the one we know and love today.

In the last two-and-a-half decades, various projects started and finished. In 2011, the Sutliff Hall renovation was completed. It iis home to the Zeiger College of Business. A new suite-style residence hall, Soltz, named after recent BU President David L. Soltz, opened in 2017. The modern building is not only the newest residential living space on campus, but it is also where one can find the University Store, Chick-Fil-A, Q-doba, a math lab and more. Most recently in 2021, the Arts and Administration building opened for use.

With each semester, it seems there are new changes. The campus of today will not be the same as the campus of tomorrow. It is forever changing.

The school operated as a Normal School, offering two year degrees in teacher training, from 1869-1927.

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Aerial photo of campus, 2006. Note the look of the quad, which didn’t reach its current appearance until 2007.

Elwell Hall, 1980

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View of Carver from town, 1972

Students leave Bakeless Hall, 1998

Former dormitory, Waller Hall, pictured 1967

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he Bloomsburg Block Party: A Day of terror for townies and the college, but a holiday for university students. The infamous Bloomsburg Block Party is typically held mid-April on Fetterman Avenue and is known as a glorified day drink lasting from 8 a.m. to hours into the night. Attendees aren’t only Bloomsburg University students, but students from other colleges as well.

It’s an event that’s filled with alcohol, drunk students and police on horses.

The university does not affiliate itself with the event. Instead, they host “Springfest” (renamed to “Husky-Paw-Looza” this year) which consists of games, food and activities throughout campus as an attempt to get students not to attend the Block Party.

The notorious Block Party originally started out as a fundraiser for the Bloomsburg Women’s Center. Back in April 1993, fraternity Theta Chi organized the event and sold food, beverages and t-shirts to help raise money for the center. Local bands were also in attendance. Over time, however, the event became less about fundraising and more about drinking.

The event was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year on April 23, the Bloomsburg Block Party made its big comeback.

The town had spent nearly $50,000 on extra officers and equipment to prepare for the event. Festivities appeared to be calmer this year compared to previous years, with only 16 citations being issued. For reference, 196 citations we issued during the last Block Party back in 2019. The most citations ever issued during Block Party was 214 in 2016, which also saw a student hospitalized with a slashed face after defending a girl who was physically assaulted. Sometimes local police feel the need to quell the event by using force, such as in 2013 when tear gas was used to disperse the crowds.

After two full years without one of Bloomsburg’s most notorious traditions, it appears the university’s community is getting back to its roots and reputation as a college known for its wild party culture.

Block Party, 2016

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A Day in History: Bloomsburg Block Party By: Eliza Nevis

Students on Fetterman during the 2008 Block Party. This event even had its own dedicated section in that year’s Obiter yearbook.

Law enforcement officers on horses at 2022 Block Party on Fetterman Avenue. Credit: Katie Rose

Block Party, 2016 Block Party, 2008

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Students Protest Against Tuition Hike, 1980 Game Day, 1999

Move-in Day, 1989 28

Warren Student Services Center, 2008

Basketball vs. Mansfield, 1969

Aerial of Campus, 1949

Graduation, 1997 29

BU Football Coach Danny Hale, Pictured 1998

Cheerleaders, 1950s

Maroon and Gold Band in Haas Auditorium, 1972

Students on campus, 1984

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Writers: Olivia Antonucci Aaron Boivin Joshua Evans Eliza Nevis Katie Rose Ava Stasen Layout & Design: Aaron Boivin Sean Carney Kira Loomis Katie Rose Photography (current): Katie Rose Eva Wozniak Founding Faculty Advisor: Dr. Richard Ganahl University Archivist: Robert Dunkelberger

Staff S

pecial thanks to Bob Dunkelberger, our university archivist, for providing historical photos of BU taken from student newspapers, yearbooks, postcards, promotional materials and others collected over the years. Bob also provided much of the historical information that our writers used in these articles. We really couldn’t have done it without him.

Interested in more B.U. history? Check out Bob’s book “175 Years of Memories” published in 2014. Also, feel free to check out the Historic Bloomsburg: Digital Projects on the Harvey A. Andruss Library website.

Bloomsburg University is entering a new era, so we wanted to use this magazine to reflect on and celebrate the school’s 183-year history. Whatever the Commonwealth era brings, Bloomsburg’s legacy will continue onward and upward. Here’s to a bright future for all! Go Huskies!

Interested in Media and Journalism? The M&J Department at BU hosts programs in telecommunications, journalism, emergent media and public relations. M&J students (and students in other majors) get experience in our wonderful campus media organizations: BUnow, The Voice, BUSN, NBS, PRSSA and WHSK-FM. Students in these media organizations are involved in many creative projects, including this magazine!

Homecoming Queen Lori Johnson, 1971

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Men’s Swimming, 1984

Thanks for reading!

Check out more of our students’ work at www.bunow.com

Evolution of Roongo graphic by Kira Loomis

Carver Hall, 1938