From our pages

1913 Long before it became known as “first year,” the freshman year in the College received careful scrutiny—and some criticism—from University administrators. Dean James R. Angell declared that the College allowed, or even required, freshmen to repeat too much of their high-school work. Meanwhile, in his annual report, President Harry Pratt Judson argued that the redundancy between high school and freshman year meant that students would not develop intellectual curiosity, flatly concluding, “The best thing to do with the Freshman year is to abolish it.”

Gardner caricatured in College Days

1953 Editor Don Morris, AB’36, profiled classmate Martin Gardner, AB’36, who had recently written a book, In the Name of Science, debunking “crack-pot” scientists. In it, Gardner, a magician in his college days, took on the theories of scientists working outside the mainstream, such as Col. Dinshah Pestanji Framji Ghadiali, “whose cure for any ailment consists of diet and a proper combination of colored lights shining on the patient.”

1978 Demonstrating that the “From Our Pages” column is not without precedent, the Winter issue included in its “Nostalgia” column an essay from the 1930 Cap and Gown in which two students were reprimanded for necking on a University bench. “How long students will continue to neck no one in this country is able to say. It is one of those serious problems in Life that all of us must face courageously,” opined the yearbook writer. Those caught necking (who apparently were facing each other instead of the problem) were accused of lax behavior that, if allowed to spread, would demoralize other students, “particularly co-eds who live in dormitories, and are not yet fully acquainted with Life.”

1993 The February “Chicago Journal” reported that the University had extended to same-sex domestic partners of faculty, staff, and students the same spousal benefits that married partners already received, including health insurance, access to married housing, and tuition benefits. In announcing the change, the assistant vice president for human-resource management said that the new policy would apply “to those couples who cannot legally marry but can demonstrate a long-term commitment to each other and joint financial obligations” and would help the University to recruit and retain the most qualified people.

— Daniel G. Reinhard '05