The Quadrangle placed a Red Cross ad on the pages to convince Manhattan men to donate blood for their fellow Americans during World War II.
THE QUADRANGLE / COURTESY
By Angelina Perez, Arts & Entertainment Editor
For 100 years, The Quadrangle has put out volumes of campus news surrounding the issues that matter to students most.
As history has prevailed itself, so has Manhattan University’s newspaper. Past articles serve as a rich tapestry of our university’s evolution, highlighting pivotal moments, student activism and the diverse voices that have shaped our campus culture over the decades. These archived articles not only reflect the changing priorities of our community but also remind us of the enduring impact of student journalism at Manhattan University.
Throughout the late 1920s and all of the thirties, the United States was hit with the global economic crisis known as the Great Depression that lasted until World War II.
On Oct. 20, 1932, members of The Quadrangle took to the front pages of volume X (ten) issue 5 in a section titled, “Fill a Ballot,” to convince their peers, of only 1,150 at the time, to go out and get involved in politics and use their voice.
“…the depression is on the way out and beer is in the offing; the taxes will be slashed and the foreign debt will be expiated; the present administration is the best ever and what this country needs is a change of ruling party…Here is a splendid opportunity for us embryonic voting citizens – an epithet which may be applied to the majority of our band of 1150 – to step up and reflect the political astuteness of Catholic Young America,” The Quadrangle article stated.
On the same page was an option for students to fill out and return to The Quadrangle who they were voting for during the presidential election during the 1932-1936 term, either anonymously or signed. Names such as Herbert C. Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Norman D. Thomas had checkboxes adjacent to them. Roosevelt would soon be elected into office only a few weeks later.
In issue 13 of the same year, only a few issues after the start of the political conversation regarding the Great Depression, a column published under the title “Depression and- Revolution?” referenced Alfred E. Smith’s characterization of the depression as a state of war due to the millions of citizens starving and the abandonment Americans were feeling.
“No empty optimism will serve here,” The Quadrangle article stated. “Only knowledge of the facts, however ugly, can impress upon the nation and especially upon those who are most responsible for conditions, speedy and decisive action. And conditions are pressing. The ominous word ‘revolution’ is uttered not only by radicals but even by conservatives. The American working-man is too courageous and solid to revolt easily against the government, but there reached is a limit to his patience, which limit is being slowly reached.”
A little more than a decade later, The Quadrangle published on Nov. 29, 1944 volume XXI (21) issue five, the Red Cross’s plea for students to donate blood during World War II. The section titled, “Blood Donors,” shared a message encouraging students to help. While some men donated, others were drafted before they had the ability to sit in the donor seat.
“A few weeks ago the plea was made to all Manhattan men for blood,” the article stated. “A request was made for one hundred volunteers, only forty-five responded. When the Red Cross suggested a check on the forty-five it was found that twelve of them lacked parental permission, four others had been drafted. There should be no need to plead the cause of the blood bank. Every day the newspapers contain either editorials or cartoons depicting the immediate need for blood. Posters on our bulletin board also portray the suffering of our service men, suffering which might be alleviated at only a slight sacrifice to us.”
Almost a month after the issue five publication, The Quadrangle confirmed an additional forty-seven students and alumni who had passed away in active service.
On Dec. 6, 1950, students were reluctant to join the Korean War, with The Quadrangle informing readers that after the last war, fewer students were being drafted and volunteering.
“Admittedly this is the time for considered action rather than emotional heroics,” the article read in Volume XXXII (32) issue 12. “But we are engaged in an undeclared Third World War. Minutes lost mean American lives lost.”
Moving away from the era of some of America’s largest wars, it wasn’t until February of 1973 that MU’s community senate discussed the topic of co-education.
“The reason that the co-ed issue is being brought up again is because of the rumors that only the schools of Business and Engineering are going co-ed in the fall,” The Quadrangle article stated. “Several senators seem to be disturbed by the rumors and they want to have the co-ed issue clarified once and for all.”
On Dec. 1, 1985, anyone under the age of 21 was prohibited from purchasing and consuming alcohol, marking a significant change in the legal drinking age in the United States.
The Quadrangle relayed the new nationwide law to dorm halls, such as Overlook Manor, which strictly housed upperclassmen and was sold early in May 2023. Before that, however, MU was not always a dry campus, as the college policy permitted the use of alcohol in moderation around the streets of Riverdale.
“The only real difficulty with alcohol in the dormitories would be in controlling consumption at dorm parties,” The Quadrangle article stated. “Presently, room parties are only allowed in Overlook Manor, out floor parties are permitted in the other dormitories on floors where the majority of students are of legal drinking age. It is the responsibility of the R.A. on these floors to proof students and make sure that no under age student is drinking. In Overlook, this is the responsibility of the students who live in the room as well as the R.A.”
In 2001, students and faculty were faced with the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001. The Quadrangle covered Campus Ministry and Social Action’s candlelight and prayer, and published articles including students’ reactions to the tragic events that took place.
Michael Rohrssen, a writer for The Quadrangle and Editor-in-Chief of the paper in 2004, wrote an Op-Ed for the publication recalling his experience at the Twin Towers before the attacks, calling it “brilliant” and “breathtaking”.
“The peace and tranquility that I once witnessed with my naive eyes were destroyed in huge balls of flame and rubble,” Rohessen wrote.
As the tragedies and momentus stories unfold throughout time, journalism at MU has increasingly proved its vital role in providing students with timely news, connecting them to a larger community and fostering resilience during times of hardship.