Schrijven studenten nog poëzie? In de 19e eeuw in ieder geval wel. De Utrechtsche Studenten-almanak kende vanaf het eerste nummer in 1825 een afdeling ‘Mengelwerk’, die bol stond van de gedichten. Deels ging het om zoetsappige liefdespoëzie waarin menig ‘kusjen’ werd gestolen en tevergeefs werd gedongen naar de hand van Utrechtse schonen. Bij nadere beschouwing valt er toch wel meer in te ontdekken.

In 1825 some students of the University of Utrecht published a student paper: De gekortwiekte Faam. This was a novelty: a paper for students edited by students. The professors of the academy of Utrecht condemned the initiative. They found it highly inappropriate for students to speak out for themselves. Even so, the initiative was soon followed by students of the academies in Leiden and Groningen. In the second half of the nineteenth century the student weekly had become a normal aspect of student life. This study analyses the history and development of the student paper as a genre: from the experimental first small and short-lived papers in the first half of the nineteenth century, to the institutionalized and flourishing weekly in the second half of the nineteenth century. The student paper had an important function for students and student life. It did not just reflect changes in the history of student life, it actually and actively impelled ideas and reforms in student life. The student-reader learned how to behave as a student, how to dress, how to participate in society, and what to think of new education laws. Therefore these papers defined and redefined the identity of the ‘genuine’ student and student life. This study shows the importance of the university press for the modern university.

In 1865 the students of the Utrecht veterinary school established the Veterinary Students Association ‘Absyrtus’. In order to further improve the community spirit they published a Veterinary Almanac from 1887 onwards. The contents included calendars, annual reports, lists of all Dutch veterinarians active in the country and the colonies, biographies of professors, poems, and cartoons. The most interesting parts of the almanac were the anonymous comments about education and about the professors. The students proved to be rather critical in this respect. These comments also provide an insight into the professional ambitions and ideals of the students. When the Veterinary School was incorporated as a faculty into Utrecht State University in 1925, Absyrtus was disbanded. A new veterinary students association was started in 1932 and it lasted until 1979, when the association began publishing an almanac again. Apart from the large galleries of portrait of all students, in the new series of the Veterinary Almanac are found the annual speeches of the presidents. These are interesting from the historical point of view because they show how the student population responded to changes in the veterinary field, the curriculum, contacts with the faculty administration, and the veterinary professional association.