Marist Through the Decades—and in The Circle

Headlines and Stories from Issues Past

MARCH 1971

In a letter to the editor in the March 25, 1971 issue, the writers — who called themselves “the First-Floor Leo” — complained that Marist refused to remove a rug from their dorm. “Aside from the constant stench,” they wrote, “the rug is infested with roach-nests.” The students were not asking for the rug to be replaced; only removed. In closing, they wrote that “if responsible students are met with responsibility, perhaps the Administration’s self-concept as ‘slum landlord’ deserves revision.”

Another story investigated the future of Fontaine, which was set to undergo a major renovation the following fall. Options under consideration included faculty offices, student housing, on-campus apartment-style housing for faculty, or a library. Eventually, the old Fontaine was destroyed and the one that now stands was built in its place.

An advertisement in the March 26, 1981 issue of the newspaper promoting an event at the Foolish Fox Pub on campus. Source: The Marist Archives

MARCH 1981

A decade later, in the March 26, 1981 issue, another rug-related story found its spot in the newspaper—this time, on the front page. Apparently, a “much celebrated” rug was stolen from Champagnat’s second-floor lounge and was found two months later by town police in a student’s off-campus apartment. Father Richard LaMorte, the Associate Dean of Students at the time, said that if evidence was found pointing to one student, “he will be banned from the campus."

The paper also featured an ad for an event in the Foolish Fox Pub on campus — ”Eat, Drink, Be Merry.” The Subway in Hyde Park advertised a special offering: Buy-one-get-one-for-99-cents subs, and a quarter-page dedicated to announcing Budweise’s campus athlete of the week. 

MARCH 1991

The March 28, 1991 issue of the newspaper reported on a group of students testing out “PhoneMail,” a voice message service created by the Marist-IBM Joint Study program. The program allowed students and faculty to send and leave voice messages 24 hours a day. Students, however, preferred their own personal answering machines, because as one student noted, “You see the light blinking on the machine and you know you have messages.” 

The paper also covered two students seeking financial compensation for damage to their sixth-floor dorm room in Champ. During spring break the prior week, the fire department had used their closed dorm room for a fire training drill — which students had not been informed would happen. They placed a smoke machine inside the dorm that covered every inch of the space in a greasy residue and left a rusty water stain on the wall. 

In something a bit more lighthearted, one opinion writer claimed every member of the Marist student body falls into one of eight different stereotypical characters — including, but not limited to, those who see the campus as a land of sexual opportunity, stoners, athletes, and airheads. 

Front page of the March 30, 2000 issue of The Marist Circle, detailing students' parking frustrations. Source: The Marist Archives

MARCH 2000

The front-page story on the March 30, 2000 issue of the newspaper covered a campus problem that has persisted for decades — parking. Summing up the issue in one photo caption: “Overcrowded lots have students screaming bloody murder.” Students were also upset about strict regulations as well as punishments for repeated rule-breaking, which included a “boot list” and a “tow list” created by security. Students believed enforcement was too extreme, and tickets were being given out too liberally — amount to $80,000 in tickets the year before.

The issue’s “Security Briefs” section details two wallets stolen from Donnelly, a student passed out in the Champ breezeway getting escorted to the hospital, and a chicken pot pie that caught on fire. Most importantly, it labeled Marian as the “life and death of the party scene” at Marist. “Only one could imagine the amount of hash that was confiscated from two students of Marian Hall Thursday around 8 in the evening.”