By Joslyn DelSignore / The Jambar
The Jambar has been the journalistic voice of Youngstown State University students since 1931. It has seen nearly 10 decades, 16 U.S. presidents and the evolution from print-only journalism to digital media.
The Jambar published its 25th edition of volume 48 on Jan. 15, 1971.
Former Jambar News Editor Pete Wilms wrote a front-page story about the dangers of parking on Bryson Street. At the time, due to illegal parking, there was only a narrow passage for traffic, and cars were blocking two fire hydrants between Lincoln Avenue and Spring Street.
Wilms wrote that The Youngstown Fire Department came to campus to demonstrate the threats posed, and interviewed engineer Charles Stevens to address the issue.
Former Jambar Staff Writer Brian Williams wrote about the revision of the Student Grievance Committee. Williams covered the committee’s increase to five members and its mission to handle intraorganizational and intercampus disputes, as well as disputes between students and faculty.
The weather on Jan. 15, 1971 was predicted to be partly cloudy with scattered snow flurries, and highs around 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Jan. 15, 2026 is not predicted to look much different, with cloudy skies, snow showers — and an expected high temperature of around 20 degrees Fahrenheit, according to AccuWeather.
In other news, the explosion of a kilovolt-ampere transformer led to blackouts in Jones Hall, West Hall, now Ward Beecher Hall, East Hall, formerly athlete housing and a secretarial school, Central Hall, located where the William F. Maag Jr. Library now stands and the university bookstore.
The casting for Spotlight Theater’s winter production of “Mary Stuart” was also interrupted due to the outage. The Jambar reported that power on campus was restored by the end of the night.
In sports, the Penguins defeated the former Gannon College Golden Eagles with a final score of 88-77. Ronald Smith, a former player inducted into the YSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009, was the leading scorer with a total of 28 points.
The Jambar also reported that the teams for Superbowl V were announced, with the former Baltimore Colts set to face the Dallas Cowboys. Over a decade later, the Colts moved to Indianapolis, where they became the Indianapolis Colts and still play today.
Every player on the NFL winning team was said to be awarded $15,000. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, $15,000 adjusted for inflation in January 2025 would equal around $120,000.
After nearly 55 years, the headlines have changed. The campus has grown and the way news is received has changed, but the mission of The Jambar remains the same. Every edition documents the history of YSU’s campus, the concerns of the time and the voice of the students, faculty and staff.
Editor’s note – The Jan. 15, 1971 edition of The Jambar was accessed through William F. Maag, Jr. Library Jambar Newspaper Archives.