On April 19, the John Carroll community celebrated Founder’s Day, commemorating the beginning of the University which a myriad of students, faculty and staff have called home. Over 130 years of history occurred within these buildings on campus and in the countless organizations they’ve housed — many of which still exist to this day.

One such organization that comes to mind is none other than The Carroll News. With the first issue published in 1925, there have been thousands of articles written for students and by students to keep everyone informed on the latest happenings on campus. Take a look back at some of these previous issues of The Carroll News that were published back in the day.

April 24, 1942 (Vol. 22, No. 14) 

This issue of The Carroll News contains articles and advertisements pertaining to the war effort. From a U.S. Navy recruitment campaign to a Chesterfield cigarette advertisement featuring men and women in uniform, it is clear that World War II was on the minds of many John Carroll students. 

In an article written by The Minority Reports titled “On Women’s Slacks,” one aspect of the war that caused outrage was the necessity for women to wear pants. After comparing a woman in pants to a “… punch-drunk fighter who has just tripped over his own shoe-laces,” the article states, “we hope with all our might that this trend in war-time living is not permanent; we pray earnestly that when the war is over slacks will cease to be the fashion for women.” The writers of The Minority Report would, needless to say, be shocked by what people wear today.

While club and intramural sports are currently a large part of the JCU experience, this addition of The Carroll News highlights the Fight Card for the week which featured 27 rounds of boxing sponsored by the Carroll Union and Dorm Council. The modern equivalent of this would be SUPB sponsoring a Fight Club in the Campion Basement for their Area Wide event. 

Vol. 33, No. 13 (May 2, 1952)

The top of this edition is dedicated to an article titled “Pope Authorizes Pacelli Hall Dedication” written by Fred McGunagle which proudly proclaimed that, with Pope Pius XII’s blessing, Pacelli Hall would become the first building in the United States named after the Pope. With renovations of Pacelli happening in the near future, the image of the dorm under construction will not feel so foreign. 

The college experience has changed in many ways but the commitment to extracurricular activities is a pastime that will most likely never waver. A poll concluded that John Carroll students spend about 1,800 hours a week participating in extracurriculars and the football team practiced for a whopping 14,160 hours a year. No one ever said that being a college athlete was easy. 

The issue is rounded out by an advertisement to attend the Cleveland College of Mortuary Science, a schedule for the Greyhound buses and yet another Chesterfield cigarette ad. It’s funny to think that a campus organization once promoted smoking while nowadays smoking of any kind may earn you a seat in your very own student conduct meeting.  

April 27, 1962 (Vol. 44, No.14)

Compared to the previous issues, this edition seems a bit more mundane. Listed above the fold are articles about JCU’s Prom weekend as well as information about the annual jazz concert. This particular concert sounded like it garnered lots of interest since the event was headlined by The Dave Brubeck Quartet which, according to the article, was the most famous jazz ensemble at the time. JCU’s dedication to bringing in a variety of musical artists is a component of the John Carroll experience that has remained a staple throughout the years.

While boxing was the campus craze in the 1940s, the article titled “Billiards star wins award” showcases how pool became the latest trend of the time. In total, 23 people participated in this event sponsored by the Student Union and 30 audience members carefully watched the games of billiards. 

May 5, 1972 ( Vol. 54, No. 20)

It will come as no surprise that one of the major stories in this edition is the announcement of Tim Russert’s selection as the Beaudry Award winner. Every student at Carroll has heard the mythos that surrounds Russert’s reputation both on and off campus. If you ever decide to sit in the atrium of O’Malley on a weekday, every 20 minutes you will hear multiple tour guides run down the list of Russert’s accomplishments and a mention of the coveted “Meet the Press” fellowship. 

The 70s are  regarded as a tumultuous time in American history and the political issues of the day were on the forefront of the minds of many John Carroll Students. “ROTC Protest Evolves Into Bloody Exposition” by Carol Rajnicek documents the events of a nonviolent, antiwar protest that culminated in cow blood being thrown inside and outside the building. According to the article, the protest was not meant to disrespect any of those involved in the ROTC program but to shed light on the University’s position on the war. 

April 28, 1982 (Vol. 66, No. 8) 

The final edition examined contains some comments and complaints about topics that still plague current students. Anne Rauth writes in a Letter to the Editor, “There have been many studies on how a good meal affects students doing well in school. Why then is the administration so apathetic toward the food service? One would think that the school’s greatest interest is the performance of the students.” Are we sure that this wasn’t written yesterday?

Another topic that was widely discussed in this issue was the core curriculum. In the final article of a series titled “Continued solutions offered for John Carroll Core,” Doug Green lays out his plan for the best way to design and schedule one’s necessary core requirements. Apparently his idea for the core curriculum faced backlash in multiple Letters to the Editor which included one written by Kathy Isabela. In the letter she writes, “I too, want ‘to see education as personally fulfilling and efficient as possible’; but kindly remember Mr. Greene, there are only twenty-four hours in a day and seven days in a week.” This is the type of content that would end up on Barstool today. 

Other notable inclusions on this addition consist of an ad to join the airforce, a review of a play put on in the Little Theater, Senior Week activities (one of which is a Booze Cruise), sports news and an intriguing article titled “Excessive drinking is expected behavior.” 

Overall, the buildings, people and activities may change but looking through the past issues of The Carroll News has revealed that the JCU of old is still recognizable to how it exists today. While there still needs to be progress to create the best version of John Carroll, looking back at the past emphasizes the journey towards excellence that we are still on the path of.