The Hard Times student newspaper began in 1970 under the title "Bridgewater Free Press." Beginning in the fall 1971 semester the name was changed to "Hard Times." During the very end of the paper's history its name was changed to the "Harder Times." The paper ran from 1970-1976. Progressive in its content, the "Hard Times" focused on controversial content that the competing student newspaper, "The Comment," did not address.
From the first issue in newsprint form, the newspaper "has several goals that it hopes to accomplish. The primary of these is to expose it's readers to the movements and changes occurring on the campus and in the world around them, analyzing their objectives, and introducing ways that they can get involved with them if they're interested. The [newspaper] feels that Bridgewater's apathetic reputation has been won because it has been 'protected' from this type of information. Drives by war critics, feminists, blacks, chicanos, migrants, ecologists and other concerned groups have been progressing for years. Bridgewater has yet to begin."
Submissions from 1970
The Bridgewater Free Press, Nov. 12, 1970 (Vol. 1 No. 1), Bridgewater State College
Submissions from 1971
The Bridgewater Free Press, March 1, 1971 (Vol. 1 No. 2), Bridgewater State College
The Bridgewater Free Press, March 17, 1971 (Vol. 1 No. 3), Bridgewater State College
The Bridgewater Free Press, March 31, 1971 (Vol. 1 No. 4), Bridgewater State College
The Bridgewater Free Press, April 21, 1971 (Vol. 1 No. 5), Bridgewater State College
The Bridgewater Free Press, May 5, 1971 (Vol. 1 No. 6), Bridgewater State College
The Bridgewater Free Press, May 19, 1971 (Vol. 1 No. 7), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, Sept. 15, 1971 (Vol. 2 No. 1), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, Oct. 13, 1971 (Vol. 2 No. 3), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, Sept. 29, 1971 (Vol. 2 No. 2), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, Nov. 3, 1971 (Vol. 2 No. 4), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, Nov. 17, 1971 (Vol. 2 No. 5), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, Dec. 1, 1971 (Vol. 2 No. 6), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, Dec. 15, 1971 (Vol. 2 No. 7), Bridgewater State College
Submissions from 1972
The Hard Times Press, Feb. 2, 1972 (Vol. 2 No. 8), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, Feb. 16 (Vol. 2 No. 9), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, March 1, 1972 (Vol. 2 No. 10), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, March 15, 1972 (Vol. 2 No. 11), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, March 29, 1972 (Vol. 2 No.12 ), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, April 19, 1972 (Vol. 2 No. 13), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, May 3, 1972 (Vol. 2 No. 14), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, May 17, 1972 (Vol. 2 No. 15), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, Sept. 20, 1972 (Vol. 3 No. 1), Bridgewater State College Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, Oct. 4, 1972 (Vol. 3 No. 2), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, Oct. 25, 1972 (Vol. 3 No. 3), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, Nov. 21, 1972 (Vol. 3 No. 4), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, Dec. 6, 1972 (Vol. 3 No. 5), Bridgewater State College
Submissions from 1973
The Hard Times Press, Jan. 17, 1973 (Vol. 3 No. 6), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, Feb. 1, 1973 (Vol. 3 No. 7), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, Feb. 14, 1973 (Vol. 3 No. 8), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, March 7, 1973 (Vol. 3 No. 9), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, March 27, 1973 (Vol. 3 Special Issue), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, April 11, 1973 (Vol. 3 No. 10), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, April 18, 1973 (Vol. 3 Staff Edition), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, May 9, 1973 (Vol. 3 No. 11), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, Sept. 26, 1973 (Vol. 4 No. 1), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, Oct. 17, 1973 (Vol. 4 No. 2), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, Oct. 31, 1973 (Vol. 4 No. 3), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, Nov. 14, 1973 (Vol. 4 No. 4), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, Dec. 5, 1973 (Vol. 4 No. 5), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, Dec. 12, 1973 (Vol. 4 No. 6), Bridgewater State College
Submissions from 1974
The Hard Times Press, Feb. 6, 1974 (Vol. 4 No. 7, Special Issue), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, Feb. 13, 1974 (Vol. 4 No. 8), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, March 7, 1974 (Vol. 4 No. 9), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, March 27, 1974 (Vol. 4 No. 10), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, May 1, 1974 (Vol. 4 No. 11), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, May 20, 1974 (Vol. 4 No. 12), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, Sept. 25 (Vol. 5 No. 1), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, Oct. 9, 1974 (Vol. 5 No. 2), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, Oct. 31, 1974 (Vol. 5 No. 3), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, Nov. 17, 1974 (Vol. 5 No. 4), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, Dec. 11, 1974 (Vol. 5 No. 5), Bridgewater State College
Submissions from 1975
The Hard Times Press, Feb. 20, 1975 (Vol. 5 No. 6), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, March 6, 1975 (Vol. 5 No. 7), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, March 17, 1975 (Vol. 5 No. 8), Bridgewater State College
The Hard Times Press, April 14, 1975 (Vol. 5 No. 9), Bridgewater State College
Submissions from 1976
The Harder Times Press, Jan. 30, 1976 (Vol. 1 No. 1), Bridgewater State College
The Harder Times Press, Feb. 26, 1976 (Vol. 1 No. 2), Bridgewater State College