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Has the
Pope ever visited Georgetown?
In 1936, when Pope Pius XII was still Cardinal Pacelli,
he visited the U.S. and was given an honorary degree by
Georgetown. The ceremony took place in Gaston Hall, with
the audience limited to the senior class. After the degree
had been conferred, the class honored the Cardinal with
a variation of our college cheer which was normally delivered
at sporting events as: Hoya, Hoya, Saxa! Hoya, Hoya,
Georgetown! -Team, Team, Team! John G. Bowen (LL.B. 1921, LL.M. 1922,
Ph.D. 1933), describes the Cardinal’s reaction in
the 1966 compilation, “On the Hilltop: Reflections
and Reminiscences on their Campus Years by Georgetown
Alumni”: The Cardinal had just come from Paris
and seen the turbulence of shouting students in the area
of
the Sorbonne . . . At the instant the future pope finished
his speech, up rose the President of the Yard [the College’s
student government]. Waving his fist high, he shouted, “OK
fellows. Hit it!” Every man jumped to his feet .
. . the Cardinal’s eyes bugged out as he sat terrified.
The whole class thundered: “Hoya, Hoya, Saxa! Hoya,
Hoya Georgetown! Hoya Pacelli, Pacelli, Pacelli!” and
broke into vigorous applause. The Cardinal smiled. Afterward
in the President’s office he said: “I think
I will start something new. This will be the cheer of
the College of Cardinals.”
Cardinal Pacelli Convocation, Gaston Hall, Georgetown
University, October 22, 1936. From the Georgetown University
Archives.
Why did protesting students burn issues of The
Hoya in
March 1969? In the 1950s and 1960s, The Hoya reported primarily on
campus news and events- -a focus motivated both by tradition
and by the belief that its staff was too small to provide
coverage of off-campus events. The Hoya contains no mention
of the election or inauguration of John F. Kennedy (who
had once lived only three blocks from campus), the Tet
Offensive, or the Woodstock Festival, for example. The
paper did report on the Vietnam War and associated issues
but only in so far as they impacted Georgetown students.
This editorial stance led to debate, both internal and
external to the paper. A faction of students demanded
more coverage of anti-war protests, accusing Hoya editors
of being too conservative and not adequately reflecting
student opinion. One result of this debate was the founding
of a second student newspaper, The Georgetown Voice, which
first appeared on March 4, 1969, promising to “present
and analyze national and local issues of concern to the
student, whose concern should spread beyond the campus.” Student
protestors burned hundreds of Hoya issues on March 6,
1969, while singing This Will Be The Last Time. Despite
this prophecy, however, The Hoya continued publication.
[Editor’s note: You can browse, read, and search
these Hoya issues online. Issues from 1959-1980
are available at http://digital.georgetown.edu/hoya/index.cfm.]
When was the dress code for students eliminated?
Appropriately dressed for registration, 1960. From
the Georgetown University Archives. |
According to student
handbooks, “Georgetown
gentlemen” were required to wear “coats
and ties and be otherwise neatly dressed in the classroom
and classroom buildings” until 1968. Prior to
1966, they also had to wear coats and ties in the
chapel, library, offices, and the dining hall. The
late 1960s saw a discussion of permissible male hair
styles, particularly in the School of Medicine. In
March 1970, the Executive Faculty of the School, after
conducting a survey, decided that moustaches, beards,
long hair and sideburns “are not objectionable
in themselves, if they match an otherwise good appearance.” |
In the 1940s and 1950s, by which time women were enrolled
in all schools except the College, women students were
forbidden to wear shorts, slacks, or jeans on campus unless
they were worn for “school or class picnics or by
special permission for individual or group activities.” Miss
G, the handbook for women students, had a section on dress
standards as late as 1970 when it advised: “It should
be remembered that Georgetown is located in a metropolitan
area and women’s attire, should at all times, be
in good taste. The personal preference of your professors
should be considered in selecting your classroom attire.”
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