Inflation rates soared to new heights, cities across Canada hosted the first nationally celebrated Pride Week, and peace came to Vietnam. It was 1973, the year you graduated from the University of Waterloo.
Discover campus circa 1973
A lot has changed on campus since you were a student. See what's happening in select buildings during this time!
Buildings marked in yellow were built before 1973
Buildings marked in grey were built after 1973
Physical Activities Complex (PAC)
From rowdy basketball games to rock concerts, the PAC was a gathering place to let loose after class. Popular concerts included some big names, like Ike and Tina Turner, folk artist Melanie and Cat Stevens.
Dana Porter Library (DP)
In some ways, not much has changed at Waterloo. Like you, today's students know Waterloo's signature library as a quiet place to study — just don't leave your belongings unattended! But current students have likely never experienced anything like the 1969 "study-in." Led by members of the Radical Student Movement, the protest was meant to draw attention to inadequate library budgets.
Psychology, Anthropology, Sociology building (PAS)
In the early 1970s, the southern side of campus transformed, thanks to new buildings for the Arts Faculty. The Psychology, Anthropology and Sociology building was brand new in 1973, with 670 rooms and a very confusing array of hallways leading to them. For decades, jokes have swirled that the building is nothing more than a giant rat maze for students, or a model of the confusing brain pathways studied by psychologists.
Remember when...
A Waterloo legend, told by alumni
Take a step back another five years to when student protestors announced something drastic. In a demonstration on Waterloo’s campus to show the horrors of the Vietnam War, they promised to burn a dog with napalm. When crowds formed in November 1968, the protest took a relieving turn. Listen to the podcast to hear the full story.
Botanical name: Quercus macrocarp Common name: Burr Oak Dedication: Donated by the Graduating Class of 1973
See how your legacy has grown
To honour your time at the University, your class donated a tree to our campus. Just like your tree, your role in Waterloo’s history is still felt today.
Because of your class, and the culture you fostered as students, our campus community has grown and flourished. On behalf of current and future students, thank you for the role you played in Waterloo's legacy.
Want to share your story?
As you celebrate your milestone anniversary, share your memories from campus. Your story could be featured in an alumni publication!
All archival photos courtesy of the University of Waterloo Library. Special Collections & Archives, Kitchener-Waterloo Record Photographic Negative Collection and University of Waterloo Archives, Graphic Services fonds