Thanks to our partners at Southwestern Community College, DigitalNC now contains a new batch of records from the school spanning over three decades from 1967 to 2002. These records not only reflect the administrative and academic growth of Southwestern, but also the vibrant culture and community of its faculty and students. While administrative reports and meeting minutes paint a vivid picture of the financial and curricular development of the campus, a vast and varied collection of newsletters, brochures, and magazines reveal the beauty of living and working around Jackson County, North Carolina.

Perhaps one of the most entertaining and colorful reflections of mountain life can be found in the form of Pen & Ink, a literary magazine published by Southwestern students beginning in 1978. Each issue of this magazine contains poetry and art submitted by Southwestern’s very own students and faculty, reflecting their musings on life, love, and learning. Artistic subjects range from portraits of famous scientific thinkers to beautiful, airbrush-esque fantasy scenes that take up entire pages of the magazine. And, while many poems are devoted to loves lost or not yet earned, there’s a wonderful selection of poems to be found about mountain living or rock and roll. Earnest introspection splashes out from each page of Pen & Ink, reflecting the often pseudonymous or anonymous authors freedom during the end of the 1970s.

You can also find colorful examples of student life at Southwestern in newly digitized issues The Cornerstone, a regular newsletter published by and for students. Each issue of The Cornerstone contains photos of student life at Southwestern, from spring flings to Halloween celebrations, as well as a recurring section of “Humorscopes,” satirical predictions of students’ futures based on their zodiac sign. The Cornerstone also diligently worked to amplify student voices, providing a sections on the front and back page expressly for student feedback. The front page section, known as “The Colliquoy,” frequently cited students and their concerns on pertinent topics and stories, while the back-page section, titled “The Cornerstone Market” offered an open forum where students could post jobs, apartments, or school supplies.

Thanks again to our partners at Southwestern Community College for making this collection available online. You can find issues of The Cornerstone, as well as Pen & Ink and the rest of this amazing collection, online now at DigitalNC here. Interested in learning more about Southwestern Community College? You can find their partner page online at DigitalNC here, or visit their website here.