Why does the Archives have a lemon encased in acrylic among its holdings?

The lemon was a participant in the “lemonstration” of February 2, 1973, when students placed around 6000 lemons against the door to the President’s Office while the Board of Directors was meeting inside. The students were protesting proposed increases in tuition and board rates and rising enrollments. Lemons were sold by student vendors in front of Healy Hall who hawked their wares by shouting slogans such as “Buy a lemon. Show the Board of Directors your education has gone sour.” Student body president John B. Kennedy estimated that about 50 percent of the student body took part in the protest. Undeterred, the Board approved the increases. The Georgetown Voice reported in a February 6, 1973 account of the incident that “one Board member demonstrated his juggling prowess with three lemons” after the meeting ended.