Susquehanna University - 1960 to 1969

President Lyndon Johnson announced that he would not seek re-election in 1968 and in April of that same year a poll, sponsored by Time Magazine, was taken among college campuses to determine the most popular presidential candidates and the national issues students considered most pressing. Among Susquehanna students, Senator Eugene McCarthy was the most popular choice for president and the most pressing national issues were the suspension of bombing in Vietnam and government spending on education.

Susquehanna University was not exempt from the popularity of public protests sweeping the nation in the 1960s. In the spring of 1964, the behavior of students off campus was investigated by University officials after an article appeared in the Sunbury Daily Item concerning Susquehanna University students who had violated a Selinsgrove ordinance regarding the possession of beer. University officials met with Selinsgrove town authorities and informed the student body of the problems off campus. These probelms included drinking, littering, trespassing and a lack of proper moral conduct. The student body felt that specific proof of these matters was not given, that the University did not defend its students to the town authorities and that their moral characters had been insulted. In retaliation, students placed various protest signs in conspicuous places around campus. This newspaper article discusses the students choice of protest and other options they might have had to address their concerns.

Items from home helped to soften the ache of homesickness for students experiencing their first time away from home and family. The most popular item was the stuffed pet. This 1963 Crusader article is a laundry list of pets that have found a new home with their owners in Hassinger Hall.

The 1960s saw the dawn of a new and different social environment. Many of the old social norms were fading or had vanished altogether. Susquehanna University was not immune to this social shift and a drug policy was drafted for the first time in the University's history. This policy was published for all to read in The Crusader in 1966.