For 100 years, multiple renditions of the Setonian’s constitution have explicitly stated that its founding date is March 19, 1924. However, its first-ever publication says it was published on March 15, 1924.
So, which one is it?
According to the first article within this publication, called “The Inauguration of the Setonian,” the decision to begin working on Volume 1 was made on Feb. 13, 1924, after a meeting with a Seton Hall organization called the College Club:
“At a formal meeting of the College Club on the afternoon of February 13th, the final arrangements were completed with the result that the first issue of the ‘Setonian’ was called forth from the world of possibilities into the regions of reality.”
However, Feb. 13 has never been mentioned as the Setonian’s founding date. Which begs the question, once again: Where does March 19 come from?
The surprisingly-simple answer can be found in the paper’s 30th anniversary publication:
“Although datelined March 15, 1924, the very first issue of the Setonian did not appear until four days later, March 19, St. Joseph’s Day.”
In 1924, March 15 was a Saturday. That day, the layout of the Setonian’s first issue was finalized and sent to print. And on Wednesday, March 19, 1924, the issue was distributed throughout the Seton Hall community.
In short, not only is March 19, 1924, considered the paper’s founding date, it was also the day its first paper was published.
Emma Thumann is The Setonian’s editor-in-chief and a writer for its News section. She can be reached at emma.thumann@student.shu.edu.
