Extra! Extra! Read All About It! The Lance Is Back!

After more than a decade without a print edition, University of Windsor students are working to revive the historic campus newspaper and reconnect a new generation with its nearly century-long legacy.

By Molly Vaillancourt

Monday March 16th, 2026

It’s no secret that Gen Z has been craving physical media; museum tickets and vinyl record sales are at a growth propelled by nostalgia and a digital fatigue. Back in 1924, the Purple and White, Assumption College’s monthly tabloid, was the precursor of the University of Windsor’s, The Lance. It was well established, informative, and student-led even then. The Lance was an institution for students and at one point, the second largest and the only weekly newspaper in the city.

What started as a Facebook group post asking for information on The Lance, turned into memory lane for past writers, editors, and photographers! With over sixty comments and over one hundred likes, it has given them a space to reconnect and laugh about old memories while questioning why print publication ever ceased.

The Lance has undergone transformative periods and more recently, has mournfully plateaued out. Working to revamp the student led newspaper that was deeply loved and cherished, homage must be paid to its devoted creators, the writers, editors, photographers, all those who played a pivotal role in keeping it alive. Here’s a word from a few of our past students.

“There are no words for how sad I was when they shut down The Lance. I see many of our late 1980s and early 1990s editorial staff commenting on the post and I’m sure I speak for all of us when I say we are overjoyed to have seen your news of wanting The Lance’s return to be consistent,” said Eve Pidgeon, writer and editor for The Lance from 1988-1991.

The shut down Eve speaks of, happened back in 2013. The dreaded disappointing canon event that launched the plateau of The Lance was the immediate forced suspension of print operations by the University of Windsor Students’ Alliance (UWSA) board of directors. The stoppage of print publication was historical: 85 years of physical media came to an end. The Lance continued online with a loss of traction and care. The ramification of putting The Lance on the back burner was losing years of history and the momentum it once had in print.

Launching Careers

The Lance was the first stop for many life changing careers.

Michael Evans, the video producer for the The Lance from 2005-2007, comments, “The Lance was starting up an online page, Past the Pages, and needed video content. It was the first paying video job I ever had. I now work at CBC Windsor as a radio and video producer. I never stopped making videos. I credit The Lance for giving me my start with a paid gig in the business. I think I made $150 a video, which wasn’t much even then, but man did it help.”

The publication’s alumni include several notable figures.

In 1977, Canadian journalist, Anna Maria Tremonti, worked on the April 7, issue of *The Lance*.

Thaddeus Holownia was the photographer for The Lance back in 1970. Graduating in 1972 from Communication and Fine Arts here at the University of Windsor, he became one of Canada’s more renowned fine arts photographers. The editor during that same time was Al Strachan, described by many as a very proactive individual with forward thinking. He went on to achieve a distinguished career in journalism as a sports columnist for The Globe and Mail, Montreal Gazette, and Toronto Sun. Talk about a powerhouse team!

A Center of Campus Life

The collaborative process of creating The Lance provided a big role in student life, it became a centerpoint of student activity. It was great for morale, education, and motivation. The Lance was an integral part of student life and a tangible item that holds lots of meaning. The outpouring support and excitement from the community on restoring it has been heartening.

“Everywhere you’d go on campus, you’d see The Lance, every student carried a copy under their arm!” said Mark Lukaniuk, reporter for The Lance from 1970-1972.

Back in the 70s, The Lance had their very own section on the second floor of the CAW Student Centre, with a darkroom, two or three photographers, an office for the editor, designated space with desks of reporters, no computers but typewriters, and a printing office that would print copies every weekend — hundreds at least — being distributed throughout the university.

The Lance would keep tabs on the administration and politics of the day. The year of 1970 was pivotal to the freedom that was being fought for at the University of Windsor, and our proximity to the United States was a factor to it. Young people were trying to be heard; they didn’t want to graduate with student debt and the student population wanted to make things better. This doesn’t sound much different than the issues we’re facing as students today, does it?

Students Making Headlines

When the United States and Soviet Union were conducting nuclear testing in the atmosphere, off the coast of Alaska, there was a cry among the youth. They didn’t want the proliferation of nuclear weapons to destroy and wipe out civilization or to suffer under the fear of World War 3. The first time the Ambassador Bridge had ever been closed was because of The Lance organizing a protest. Thousands of University of Windsor students marched across the Ambassador Bridge to make a point that they were against nuclear testing. They drew attention to concerns globally; The New York Times made this protest a headline! The power of the press and media was very strong and the students at the University of Windsor were screaming to be heard. Without a student newspaper encouraging people to stand up, complacency comes into effect.

Witness to History

The Lance took part in a whirlwind tour of Ottawa and got caught in the middle of history. What should’ve been strictly a convention workshop at the Carleton University for reporters, became a national crisis in Canada. Al Strachan had secured funding to allow members of The Lance to go to these conferences in different cities. That happened to be at the precise time of the FLQ crisis: the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) had kidnapped British diplomat James Cross and Quebec Labour Minister Pierre Laporte, who was murdered by the kidnappers. The night of October 17th, 1970, Pierre Laporte’s body had been found in the trunk of the car, and then Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau, mobilized the military due to the uprising of violence caused by FLQ, invoking the War Measures Act for the first time during peacetime. The next day, The Lance staff awoke in the Lord Elgin Hotel, three blocks away from Parliament Hill.

“The only fighting I’d ever seen Canada do was on the hockey rink. Now it was at the heart of our democracy!” said Mark Lukaniuk, reporter for The Lance from 1970-1972. The main entrance of Parliament Hill was heavily secured but as a member of The Lance, he felt it was his obligation to get inside. There was only allowance of certain members of the press, but Strachan had made paper cardboard pieces of identification that designated them as members of The Lance. Not being very official looking, the security guards inspected the card, and let him walk on in, unimpeded. The train ride home with the team was a surreal experience. None of them slept that night from being a part of the Geist and getting to be real reporters of the day.

A Training Ground for Students

The Lance seemed to be its own university inside of a university. Many of the past students I interviewed seemed to have received an entire education, skills, and experiences they wouldn’t have earned otherwise. Even now, they’ve given me mentorship. It’s time we start embracing the concept that student journalists must and can be agents of social change again.

Diane Villani, known then as Diane Dalgleish, reporter and editor for The Lance back in 1970-1971, adds: “The Lance was quite an excellent student newspaper in my time, a very professional operation in many ways. One of the most popular regular features was an action line called 'Ask Score'. He did a valuable service investigating student queries and complaints and publishing responses.” I discovered from his brother Mark Lukaniuk, he even got condoms in the vending machine. Score.

Why It Matters Now

The Lance captured the raw reality of being a student in so many different eras. A real time capsule of the past, it was a stimulating and social experience that created a campus culture. Seems to be the consensus that it was an incredible learning experience and triggered ambitious intellectual curiosity. To re-establish the scene, I needed to capture the tone. To take the foundation and run with it. Afterall, the University of Windsor is a living community that needs our involvement.

In speaking with all these people, I see the beauty of a well-loved item.

It’s a shame that it ever phased out after so much dedication and fight was upheld to keep it going. Right now, The Lance may feel as if preserved in amber but it’s going to keep growing and changing.

More than ever, maybe it’s time we return to physical media and funding for print publication especially since the passage of Bill C-18 continues to block all news content on Meta platforms. In an era increasingly shaped by AI-generated content, more than ever do we need to keep student voices authentic and give a platform for it. The Lance was that platform and we’re bringing it back.

Looking back wistfully at all this proof of accomplishment and pride, The Lance deserves to be maintained. Students have powerful voices capable of change and reason. Bear with us as we try to navigate and rebuild this framework to bring The Lance back.

Our biggest goal of the revival is consistency. With that being said, we’d love to hear from University of Windsor students. If you’ve written a story or have something you are screaming from your lungs or whispering under your breath about, contact us through www.thelance.ca.

The strongest example of love is an item surviving beyond the people who created it.

“We had a telex that could be checked for filler if there were a few inches needing filling. It clattered all day long!” said Patrick McWade, writer for The Lance from 1971-1975. Now just with laptops, (no offices or a designated space yet), and a passion for writing, five journalists hope to continue history with The Lance.

Meet the newest team that hopes to carry and expand the legacy of The Lance:

**Molly Vaillancourt** – Lead journalist

With only two months of my education left until I graduate, I only wish I had learned about *The Lance* sooner. With a passion for acting and a love for storytelling, I admit to having no formal education in journalism. Upon speaking with Karl Mamer, *The Lance*’s art editor in 1991, he gave me the best advice: “Writer’s come from life not necessarily English majors.”

Menura de Silva – Co-lead journalist

I’ve been in Canada studying at the University Windsor for almost four years come the 22nd of April this year. I grew up in Sri Lanka and was nineteen when I first arrived. This October, I’ll be graduating with a Master of Arts in Communication, Media and Digital Culture, I have a bachelor’s (honours) in the same field. Over the past four years, I’ve worked more jobs on campus and the Windsor community than I can count! Some highlights are being a radio show host at CJAM 99.1FM, a tour guide for the university, the sponsorship coordinator for 2025’s Fall orientation events, and my first job, the Lancer Run Club leader at the Toldo Lancer Centre. Through The Lance, I’m looking forward to ending my UWindsor journey with dedication, impact, and purpose.

Ayat Ibrahim

I am a first-year consecutive education student with a bachelor's degree in English Literature from the University of Windsor. I previously wrote for Hercampus and I look forward to writing for The Lance. I hope to focus on amplifying community voices, storytelling, and showcasing all the fun Windsor has to offer!

Regis Bogahalanda

I moved to Windsor from the great land of Mississauga in hopes of starting a new life and making something of my 17-year-old self. Now I’m here, after years in the English and Creative Writing program, two semesters in the Practicum, and editing publication after publication for the University. Cheers to a one-of-a-kind program and Practicum that helped me hone my skills that eventually landed me as a journalist for the newly resurrected newspaper, The Lance—look out for these new boots on the ground!

Taneal Lockstadt