“Take this Daily home. Send it to a serviceman,” read the recurring appeal from the staff of the student newspaper in the fall of 1943, accompanying a special edition dedicated to the army and navy servicemen training at the University of Minnesota during World War II.

The special issues were printed and distributed to illustrate “what army [and navy] life at Minnesota [was] like” (The Minnesota Daily, October 16, 1943). At that time, enlisted men were stationed on campus as part of the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP) and the specific units of the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC), giving the University of Minnesota a distinctly “wartime feeling.”

“…Men in the service are studying here to handle the military  jobs that take well trained men; students are preparing themselves to take jobs in the world at war; and the University research staffs are devoting their time to working on government projects” (The Minnesota Daily, October 16, 1943)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two separate editions were published—one for those serving in the Army and another for those in the Navy. The articles featured in these special issues covered topics such as the state of the war and its impact on the University of Minnesota, as well as information about the specialized educational programs in which the servicemen were enrolled. These courses included advanced engineering, language training, personnel psychology, and air force service studies. Other sections highlighted updates on the completion of army training units and the variety of on-campus entertainment available for servicemen.

“This issue of The Daily is dedicated to those soldiers on campus who have come to study with us in preparation for a bigger job ‘somewhere in the world’” (The Minnesota Daily, October 16, 1943)

In the standard issues of the Daily, staff featured a special section titled, “News of Servicemen on Campus,” where active and training servicemen could share updates and contributions, until the war concluded in September 1945. Explore the full Army and Navy issues in the University Digital Conservancy, and discover additional articles written by student staff in The Minnesota Daily Student Newspaper collection. And then share the links out, just like the staff of the Daily recommended over 80 years ago!

—

To learn more about the impact of wartime activity on the University and The Minnesota Daily, visit the University Archives exhibit “Beyond the Page: Preserving the Spirit of the University Through an Independent Student Press.” The exhibit is located on the second and third floors of Elmer L. Andersen Library and is open Monday, Tuesday, and Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Wednesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.