Old school

College life has changed a lot since the 1950s, and not just because of the introduction of One Course At A Time. The compilers of the Student Council’s 1955 “Campus Courtesy” pamphlet would probably note with some disapprobation that Sundays are no longer a formal day on campus, and neither is the Wednesday dinner—indeed, there are no formal days at all—and that women no longer must wear skirts or dresses to lunch.

And someone who came to campus and read the pamphlet might sigh at the decline of chivalry: Men are no longer expected to pull chairs out for women at mealtime. Nor, for that matter, are there waiters, so students must bus their own flatware.

But clean air advocates can rejoice, as there were only a very few smoke-free spots on campus in 1955. You could smoke everywhere except the steps of the buildings, the walks in front of women’s residence halls, and inside the women’s dorm rooms themselves.

Now the entire campus is smoke-free, and smoking is only permitted on the sidewalks that adjoin Mount Vernon streets.

Some good manners are always in style, though, including quiet hours in the residence halls, keeping your voice down when using the telephone, and placing trash in its appropriate receptacle.