Something I found interesting, and I assume a lot of my fellow peers found interesting is the section they had for the Petr stickers!! It’s always such a fun sight to see my fellow anteaters running to a specific point on campus for a beloved Petr sticker. I’ve always wondered how long Petr drops have been around, and I was quite surprised to find out they’ve only been around since 2018. They even provided us with the original instagram account of the first petr, which makes me think of how much our ability to collect history has changed.
While spreading communism internationally and spreading Anteater spirit are two vastly different things, they do have some similarities. Both have faced resistance from those in power—whether it be university or government officials. Both clearly have different aims and goals, but they are similar in that way.
Primary sources can be seen as a form of worldbuilding because they provide firsthand accounts of people, events, and cultures from a specific time period. They can offer detailed descriptions of these events and help bring the historical context to life. These sources give us a feel for the kinds of spaces former (and current) UCI students/faculty were hoping to build.
Here is a video showing vintage photos of UCI!