For Penn State alumnus John Skibbe, this past weekend was a homecoming 30 years in the making.

Skibbe attended Penn State from 1969 to 1974, and this weekend he traveled from San Francisco to his alma mater for the first time in 30 years.

"The campus has expanded in two directions. The edge of campus used to be at the Shields Building," he said.

Skibbe said downtown has grown the most.

"We didn't have any chain stores because we didn't live in a shopping culture like kids today do," he said.

Although now it's more common than not to see designer handbags, sunglasses and jeans on College Avenue, Skibbe said 30 years ago it was rare to be able to buy name-brand items downtown

"I went into a store and bought a pair of Puma sneakers while I was walking downtown," he said. "You wouldn't have been able to do that when I was in school here."

Skibbe said college students today also have more money.

"Kids have to have the right clothes and shoes," he said. "We weren't as sophisticated."

Skibbe said although they did not have as much shopping downtown in the 70s, students today dress similar to how they used to.

"We lived in jeans and everything was very informal," he said. "All you really needed was a pair of Converse sneakers, sandals, jeans and a few T-shirts."

Trisha Das (junior-economics) said she thinks vintage styles make it seem like not much has changed in comparison to the 70s.

"The retro style is coming back," she said.

Skibbe said one difference he's definitely noticed can be found inside the dorms -- students in the 1970s did not need many things to make their dorm rooms feel like home, he said.

"Our dorm room essentials were lava lamps, inflatable furniture and a stereo with records," Skibbe said.

Music hot spots have also changed a lot in three decades. Skibbe said State College used to be a large venue for concerts. Bands like The Supremes and Chicago performed in Rec Hall. The Bryce Jordan Center didn't exist at that time.

"Music back then was much more diverse, and we had a lot of variety," he said.

Skibbe also said that at the game on Saturday, he noticed very few changes.

"The Lion, the chants and JoePa are all the same," he said. "The major difference is that games are much more commercialized."

One thing Skibbe noticed hasn't changed is the party scene. He said Penn State students in the 70s partied just as hard as students do now.

"The drinking scene hasn't changed. We had fun just like you do," he said.

Das said she feels not a lot has changed in 30 years, especially the party scene.

"I think that back in the 70s they all did the same things we do now as students, but I think you'll find many more drunk people on Beaver Ave," she said.

Greg Tallman (freshman-business) said he had a hard time imagining Penn State during the disco era.

"It's hard trying to deliberate what they did for fun or what they wore," he said.

Skibbe said the biggest difference between Penn State students today than in the 70s is their focus on politics.

"Because of the Vietnam War, there was a lot of political activism and anger," Skibbe said.

Skibbe said after the riots at Kent State, Penn State students began one of their own. It began in West Halls, and the rioters marched around campus and into town for almost two days.

"It was completely unique, and students definitely felt empowered," he said.

Skibbe said people were motivated to rebel against the government.

"People thought they could challenge the government through artwork, music, or what you read in the newspaper," he said.

Skibbe said he thinks students wanted to rebel because they had a chance of being drafted into the war.

"We all had draft numbers while we were in college, and with the voluntary military today, students are not as worried about being drafted," he said.

Despite the differences, Skibbe said Penn State is fairly close to how he imagined it to be 30 years later.

"Penn State is still Penn State," he said.