Thursday, October 23, 2008

The University of the South, Sewanee, TN



One of the places visited while in TN was the University of the South, known by many as "Sewanee" denoting its geographical location. A small private liberal arts university (which also has a seminary on the campus where my father attended classes years ago when I was in second grade) was formerly an all-male university. In the early 1970s, the university became co-ed.

While the university and town have remained small, there have been a few signs of growth (including an interstate which didn't exist when I lived in the area as a child.) Several coffee shops now are in the area (we visited two of them, Lorena's in nearby Monteagle and The Blue Chair on the edge of the campus.) Both we enjoyed and frequented while there. We plan to return in the future. Another coffee shop on the campus, Stirling's, was closed due to a week-long break for the university.

What was an additional new discovery since our last trip to the area a decade ago is about something that has become a bit of a controversy. The Chancellor of the university will not allow the university seal to be used on very many items for sale, with the belief (or so I'm told) that selling t-shirts with the university seal (something we purchased on our last trip there and hoped to purchase again) somehow degrades the university. I was flummoxed at learning about this from bookstore personnel. It's not like I'm approving of the sale of the university seal on toilet seats, rugs, blankets, etc. But even keychains and other jewelry except class rings, appear to be a without a seal available in the bookstore. The bookstore personnel are as confused by this as I am.

The university has had its share of controversy over the years it has been in existence. It went co-ed as I mentioned, after having been founded as an all-male college in the 1850s. The seminary became somewhat liberal in the 1960-70 decade in terms of anti-war sentiments (making conservative students and alumni rather aggravated, my father being one of those.) In recent years, I've learned that the very name "The University of the South" is seldom used now and reference is made to it as "Sewanee" due to people from outside the South being disturbed by the notation of the "South" in the title (despite the fact it IS in a southern state.)

The university's roots in terms of architecture and original structure are related to Oxford University in England. Sometimes Sewanee is referred to as "The Oxford of the South."

While I still love the place, I did register a complaint with the Vice-Chancellor's office while there regarding the removal of the seal from certain articles for sale in the bookstore, such as the aforementioned t-shirts. It just doesn't make sense to me. Sometimes the small extroverted side of me flares up and this was one of those occasions.

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