Tennessee Williams once said, “Time is the longest distance between two places.” The first place, of course, is the beginning; the Clarion found its own beginning in 1899 when the first issue was published at DU. The second place, therefore, is the end. Fortunately, this second place does not exist for our purposes. The beginning and the end, the start and the finish, the past and the present–it is a simple formula to follow. Yet it is the enduring history of all the things in between that is so interesting. This column will explore and interpret the history of the Clarion and find insight into DU’s “yesterday.” Prepare for a journey back in our student paper’s–and our university’s–history.

Now, the most pressing question becomes, where to begin? With over 100 years of content available, including a changing national landscape, technological advancement, and thousands of political and sociological topics, researching the history of the Clarion can be a little overwhelming. When sifting through old newspapers, a particular issue stood out to me. Its traditional editorial format and lack of a website link indicated that this particular issue had not quite reached the immense digital age we find ourselves in today.

Flashback to the Sept. 21, 2000 issue, featuring former Republican presidential candidate and current Arizona Senator John McCain on a visit he paid to DU, urging students to vote in the upcoming November election. Other editorials featured topics on campus Greek Life, study abroad programs, entertainment reviews and athletic news–all things that continue to be prevalent today not only in the context of the Clarion but within daily life at the university.

An interesting article featured in this issue described plans to broaden the student body through greater emphasis on international recruitment. Past Vice Chancellor of Admissions John Donlan explained his hopes to “continue to attract a diverse, excited, and committed student body” through the strengthening of DU’s international program base. What a difference fourteen years makes. According to the Princeton Review, nine percent of the university’s student body is composed of non-residents of the U.S. currently at DU. This recent statistic is not only a testament to Donlan’s aspirations but also to the university’s commitment to a diverse learning experience for all of its students.

Ten years later, the Nov. 9, 2010 edition of the Clarion had changed drastically. Color photos, smartphone advertisements and online links were splattered across the pages of the paper. A more intricate design demonstrated the usage of modern technology, deviating from the more traditional tone of the 2000 issue. Other featured articles included athletic editorials, a review of the film 127 Hours and student interviews about final exam preparations. Although the layout of the paper may have changed, the content remained fairly consistent with the issue from 2000.

While a certain sense of discrepancy between two Clarion issues is to be expected over the course of a decade, there is a significant level of similarity in the content of topics. What was important to the university, and more specifically the students, in the year of 2000 was equally as noteworthy in 2010. Examples such as these serve as a testament to the strong connection we share as a part of the DU community, regardless of the time or circumstance in which we find ourselves here.