One thing students in 1965, did have in common with students today, however, is registration. The difference here is not one of lack but of abundance in terms of time, convenience, and assistance. These days access to online registration helps new students negotiate what was once a gloomy enrollment process. A prospective student now can peruse the detailed offering of programs all online. (That’s where the technology comes in.)...
The 1943 Tower Senior Yearbook reflects this atmosphere of tension and concern. This would be the last yearbook published until 1947, as the entire country tightened its economic belt and focused on the battle at hand. Paper rationing, as well as limitations of other publication materials meant the war years would be closed to the Tower staff. It’s as if the war plunged the entire world into darkness for three years. Being without the yearbook during this time allows readers to see the value of the historic record these books offer. And perusing the pages of the 1943 Tower, offers a way into the state of campus life just before the lights went out....
When someone mentions the 1960s the first thing that often comes to mind for a lot of people these days is a vision of colorfully dressed hippies dancing in a park playing tambourines and singing songs of peace. Some people think of the Vietnam War and the protests that went along with it; some think of the assassination of John F. Kennedy and the dark hours of that dramatic event. The troubled and troubling decade of the 1960s, and the string of events that ended once and for all the innocent years following World War II, seems to have been started by one major occurrence that a lot of people tend to overlook when they consider this time....
I’m sure you’ve heard the old adage, “A picture is worth 1,000 words.” The truth in this saying is evidenced by the variety of photos without text in the later issues of the Tower Yearbook. The 1973 edition (titled, “The Urban 1973 Almanac and Yearbook, A Guide to the University of Detroit”) is a great example of this. The title page of this yearbook alone, offered as it is in the curly-ques and leafy design of an actual almanac, is a reflection of the times. In those days, a return to a simpler time was encouraged: back to the present moment, back to nature, back to the farm, back to the almanac. And in this urging to slow down the frantic rush to the future, we have the potential bridge between university life and the changing cultural....
Take a look at the photo below. This is an image of a usual campus scene in 1964. In this photo, students rush to class or hurry to their parked cars or into the library at the right side of the picture. The day is warm, probably Spring, and students seem distracted by their studies, the change in the seasons, or each other. One student in the foreground seems to be checking his watch, others seem lost in their own thoughts. Here is a moment in time, fifty years ago, held forever in this frozen image....
Here’s a thought puzzle: You are working on a research paper or book about the university in the 1940s and you need quick access to some basic statistical information. You might have questions about the G. I. Bill for returning veterans. Or maybe your question is about accreditation during this time; or the number of volumes the library had on January 1, 1949; or even the location on campus where the evening division office was located in the early 1940s. (And what the heck is “accreditation” all about anyway?)...
As with any traumatic national event, anyone living during the early 1960s likely remembers exactly where they were when they heard the news that President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated. Even today, when anyone mentions “tragic event in Dallas,” it’s likely that this particular event comes to mind. That day, students, teachers, administrators, and staff at the University of Detroit all reeled from the shocking news. Everything in their lives seemed to stop, suspended in an attempt to comprehend what had happened, to try to understand the words “the President is dead.” Amidst the tears and disbelief, who could concentrate on schoolwork, on tests, on paying attention in class? So, like a lot of campuses, offices, and public spaces, U of D shut down for the day following the event. But unlike a lot of places, students showed up for a memorial mass held in honor of our fallen president....
At graduation, the years of dedication and commitment, reading and testing, listening to lectures, taking reams of notes, and understanding critical thinking and guidance can now be left behind you as you finally put to use everything you’ve learned. Graduating is an achievement and should be celebrated. And there’s a long tradition to this!...
