Acclaimed anthropologist, Seth Mallios, is my professor for this course. Mallios assigns all of his Sociocultural Anthropology 102 students to read a book he wrote titled Hail Montezuma: The Hidden Treasures of San Diego State. From reading this book, I have learned some incredibly fascinating information about SDSU, including the 13 points I have laid out in this article. It is important to be proud of the school you attend, and being knowledgeable about your school’s history is one way to do that!
Did you know....
1. If you attended SDSU as a freshman in 1930-50, you would have had to wear a “freshman beanie.”
Freshman at SDSU used to be required to wear the freshman beanie in order to avoid hazing from upperclassmen. At the end of the school year, all freshmen would attend a bonfire where they all destroyed their beanies, thus marking the end to their first year at SDSU. This tradition discontinued shortly after WWII.
2. Students at SDSU have done extensive work to fight sexual discrimination.
President of SDSU, Brage Golding, was approached by The San Diego State Gay Student Union during the time of his presidency (1972-1977) to sign a nondiscrimination policy. This policy was written by the student council and primarily fought against the military’s ability to not recruit someone based off of their sexual orientation. Unfortunately, President Golding did not sign this policy. However, this evident oppression inspired students to push towards gender and sexual equality. In 2010, Pride Month at SDSU took off. In 2011, the school became the second university in the U.S. and the first in California to offer a bachelor degree in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender studies. To this day, SDSU is rated as one of the 25 most LGBT-friendly campuses in the U.S. by CampusPride.org.
3. San Diego State University was not always called San Diego State University.
SDSU went through various changes through the years. The school was founded in 1897, but initially as a normal school: State Normal School of San Diego. A normal school is essentially a post-secondary institution that aims to teach high school graduates how to become teachers. Next, the university was called San Diego State Teacher’s College. Then the name changed again to San Diego State College. Before its current name, the school changed its title to California State University San Diego.
4. US Troops surrounded SDSU’s campus in during WWII.
US troops were sent to SDSU’s campus to protect from a potential Japanese invasion. Rumours spread after the incident at Pearl Harbor that the Japanese troops were planning to travel up through Mexico and into Southern California in a sneak attack. As a result, SDSU’s entire campus underwent many preparatory transformations. What is now known as Hardy Tower, back then, was used as a watchtower. Blast shields were installed around various campus structures (such as Hepner Hall). Additionally, various air raid drills were conducted on campus, glass panels were removed from doors, and many buildings were surrounded by sandbags.
5. President Kennedy gave a Commencement Ceremony Speech at SDSU.
On June 6, 1963, President John F. Kennedy gave the commencement ceremony speech at SDSU. This was the first and only time a president came to San Diego State. One key phrase that Kennedy stated in his speech was that “no country can possibly move ahead, no free society can possibly be sustained, unless it has an educated citizenry.”
6. The First Frat isn’t even a frat anymore at SDSU.
When many students think of well-known fraternities at SDSU, they probably think of examples such as Theta Chi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, or Pike. However, the very first fraternity to be established at SDSU was Epsilon Eta in October of 1921.
7. “Aztec Nights” were created for a reason other than our pure student entertainment.
On May 6, 2008, 96 people were arrested by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA): 75 of whom were current SDSU students. Recorded in U.S. history as one of the worst university drug busts, the arrestees were caught with “two kilograms of cocaine, 50 pounds of marijuana, 350 ecstasy pills, hash oil. psychedelic mushrooms, illicit prescription drugs, methamphetamines, 3 guns, and $60,000 in cash”. As one of the many necessary responses to this incident that was eventually titled “Operation Sudden Fall”, SDSU decided to enforce a 5-week alcohol and drug ban at all fraternity and sorority parties during the beginning of every school year. In an attempt to occupy this “dry period” on campus, SDSU created “Aztec Nights”. “Aztec Nights” are events put on by the school’s Associated Students that all current SDSU students are allowed free entry to with a valid red ID.
8. The Love Library is named after a previous President of SDSU.
President Love was the 4th President of SDSU serving from 1952 to 1971. Love is remembered as “the people’s president” and made a long list of accomplishments during his years of presidency. During his time, the school’s enrollment rate grew by over 600% and the school gained over $6 million in research money. In commemoration to Love’s dedication and goodwill to the school and its community, the school’s current library was named after him.
9. We were not always “the Aztecs.”
One of the most unique mascots that once belonged to SDSU was the “Wampus Cat”. Back in 1915, the wampus cat, often referred to as Pete, was a mythological feline with 6-legs that cheered on SDSU sporting teams at every event.
10. Before 1932, there were no places to eat on campus.
In 1932, the first on-campus eating spot was opened: “The Caf”. This restaurant/cafe quickly became a social, homework, and eating hub for students. The proprietors were brothers named Clarence and Andy Randeques. The space that “The Caf” used to occupy is now the university’s faculty staff club.
11. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Spoke at SDSU.
On June 2, 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke to the students of SDU and consequently, rose awareness of racial discrepancies in the world. As a result, many students began to recognize discriminatory practices that were being done on their own campus. Eventually, this speech, coupled with anti-racist protests going on during the time, helped to spark the interest in the creation of a club that focused on tackling some of these racial issues. This group, The Black Student Council, now renamed the Afrikan Student Union, was formed in the year of 1968.
12. The school signed a Pepsi-only agreement in 2006.
Ever wonder why Chipotle is not on the meal plan? This is because, in 2006, SDSU decided to sign an agreement that the only restaurants that sold Pepsi could be included in the meal plans - not ones that sold coke. Chipotle, unfortunately, sells Coke and thus is not part of the meal plan.
13. The first American University to offer a Women’s Studies Program was San Diego State.
In 1970, the Women Studies major was introduced at San Diego State College (now SDSU), marking the first university program in the state. After this establishment, faculty members at SDSU created a nationwide campaign that fought for other universities to integrate this department as well. Today, both the Women Studies major and the minor are huge hits on campus and have been in close collaboration with other on-campus groups such as the Women’s Resource Center, Women and Gender Equity Residential Learning Community and The Andrea O’Donnell Womyn’s Outreach Association.
