celebrating 100 years of journalism
9
Interview
monday, november 25, 2013
#hailmontezuma
Chatting with SDSU’s preeminent historian Kelly Hillock
becomes so pro-U.S. involvement in the war. It’s funny because it completely reflects the nation. It goes from, we were isolationists when we hadn’t been attacked on our own soil and then everything changes. Not only was this campus more active than any other campus in the war movement, but then when the war is over, more vets used the G.I. Bill to come to SDSU than any other campus, at least in California. There are these great stories of 26-year-old war vets playing on the football team with 18-year-old freshmen kids. You can look at the history of the school Professor through the military, through the protests Seth Mallios around Vietnam to the Student Veteran Organization and the incredible presence COURTESY OF SETH MALLIOS that the military has here. TA: What is the legacy The Aztec has left? San Diego State’s Department of SM: I think that one of the most Anthropology Chairman and author important things is that when the paper of SDSU’s historical book, “Hail was founded, President (Samuel) Black Montezuma! The Hidden Treasure of insisted that it be free from faculty control. SDSU” Seth Malios offered The Aztec You have it in your ledger: student-run, his perspective on topics from the student-controlled. That’s really important campus during wartime to the relevancy because there’s lots of puppet papers out of a student newspaper for the SDSU there. Hell, most of mainstream media is community. Mallios offers a reflection in some way puppeted. on the continuing tradition of The Aztec It’s not only a student-run paper, you during the course of a century. With his know there is a lot of superficial praise insight, he reminds us of the weight of the for anything student-done, its a studentphrase, “Aztecs for Life” and celebrates the controlled paper, accomplishment and that is the of a century spirit of this of student-led This has been a student place: It’s not journalism. students being The Aztec: voice, a legitimate student told what to do. What is the voice, that at times has made This has been a influence of war student voice, a on campus? fun of things, emphasized legitimate student Seth Mallios: things that were wrong, and voice, that at My first semester times has made here was during really has been free-spirited. fun of things, 9/11. That was emphasized one of the first things that were moments when wrong, and really has been free-spirited. I thought, “Sometimes your class has That’s why I think it’s absolutely essential nothing to do with archaeology. Get over that it continue, in whatever format. I yourself, get over your syllabus, get over think that’s the most important legacy. your curriculum. This is about life.” And I I think you also see the creativity. remember thinking about the role of the Some of the papers just have hilarious military at SDSU. commentary on what’s going on. The During World War I, the male research I was able to do on the original population dropped to zero. All the men mascot, the Wampus Cat, is all from the here were fighting. And then in the ‘30s, newspaper. Without the paper over the this place was firmly against the war, like past 100 years, all of that is lost. most of the U.S. it was very isolationist. Quite honestly, this is a far more boring There was a peace rally that President place without the newspaper to chronicle (Walter) Hepner gave everyone the day off that. The reason universities are such for. The rallying cry was “scholarships not exciting places is that you get all these battleships.” people here and you have no idea what And then, the attack on Pearl Harbor they are going to end up doing. There is and immediately the campus changes. more potential on a university campus That’s where this campus suddenly Senior Staff Writer
than anywhere else and that is captured in the newspaper and virtually nowhere else. TA: What is the legacy you hope we continue to leave? SM: I think the first thing is accuracy. There is a lot of revisionist history that goes around here, and it’s pretty disturbing. There aren’t a lot of people that know the history and a lot of times people use history for their own agenda. The pressure is on all of us to show why the past is so relevant. Second, and this one may be obvious, but that doesn’t make it any less important, (is that) so many of you have
gone on from The Aztec to any number of current media positions. You guys have the best track records out of anybody. Part of the legacy also is the burden of the future. I fear any institution that doesn’t have any kind of watchdog. It’s terrifying across the board, as budget cuts come, those that force a group to be honest get cut first. That’s the role you all play. That’s the power of the op-ed piece. You don’t have to worry about that disagreement because you have 100 years to back you up. You guys have the continuity that virtually no one else does. That’s powerful.
Timeline1913-2013 1967
San Diego State begins its doctorate program.
1970
San Diego State College renamed San Diego State University
1971
Las year of publication for SDSU’s yearbook, Del Sudoeste.
1971
February
The modern Malcolm A. Love Library opened.