“Rooted in resilience,” says a new commemorative vinyl mural celebrating the University’s 140th anniversary. The vinyl is adhered to the side of Moody Hall – a building dedicated in 1966, a little over 80 years after the founding of the University. 

St. Edward’s University first received its charter in 1885, and became accredited in 1925; since then, the University has transformed along with the United States. In this way, the heritage and lineage of St. Edward’s is one which has gone in tandem with political progressions in society.

Although operations on the hilltop have rarely been intercepted by politics, societal situations in Austin, Texas, the United States and beyond have left their mark on St. Edward’s history. 

Some of the most pronounced instances of politics’ effects have been on the financial situation of the University. As Brother William Dunn, C.S.C, notes in his “Centennial History,” written in 1985, construction of the University was halted by political upsets in early Texas history. 

“For a time it had looked as though the capital would be moved away from Austin,” Dunn said. “That had caused business here to come to a standstill. But now a referendum had determined that the capital would stay, and so things ought to pick up.”

Despite hiccups in the initial foundation of the University, early brothers (and select sisters) persisted; as the school often has.

While progress at the University continued in spite of the Spanish-American war and Philippine Insurrection, World War I placed financial stress on the University. As then President Father Emile DeWulf noted in 1916, “Instead of improving, financial condition in the state has become something deplorable.”

Despite the traditionally divisive nature of war, the hilltop was largely unaffected according to historic sources.

“As the war clouds hovered over Europe … it became difficult for men of [warring] nationalities . . . to meet without fisticuffs. At St. Ed’s it was different,” contemporary faculty member Alfred Brown said. “At [the] dinner table with me were seated a brother of German descent, one born in France, also a brother with an Irish brogue …. In spite of traditional differences between these men, I never heard an un-Christian word spoken at that table.”

Such congeniality did not carry over during the conflagrations of World War II, where the St. Edward’s Echo (the newspaper at the time) reported “Collegians Favor Bombing of Tokyo.” 

Still, disagreeing viewpoints never seemed to escape the annals of the college paper. Politics on the hilltop manifested this way for much of the 20th century, with students editorializing about contemporary social issues: such as the Vietnam War or George H. W. Bush. It can be surmised that political advocacy en vogue for students was through the school’s newspaper. 

One exception, however, was during the Civil Rights Movement, when a large group of students organized to petition for integration within Austin. 

At the time, 302 students signed the petition which stated, “As Christian men who look to [the Student Activities Committee] for an example of leadership, we ask you to place your signatures in a law, an ordinance, which will at least curb ignorance, intolerance, prejudice.”

Directly through the writings in the school paper, members of marginalized groups advocated for change on the campus. Through this, the University gained a Black Student Union and hosted the Juarez-Lincoln Center for Chicano students. 

In regards to Civil Rights, the University has also had several brushes with leaders and movements. In 1964, St. Edward’s hosted John Howard Griffin – a man famous for championing racial equality by spending six weeks pretending to be a black man. The following year, national director of the Congress on Racial Equality James Farmer spoke to the university. 

The year 1966 brought César Chávez and farm workers from the Rio Grande Valley to St. Edward’s as part of their march to the Texas Capitol On the hilltop, those marching stayed overnight and received food from the University. According to Dunn, several faculty members joined Chávez and the workers on their ascent to the Capitol Building. 

Calls for justice at St. Edward’s have persisted beyond the 1960s, just as social movements advocating for equality have continued long after the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

In 2018, five student organizations at St. Edward’s joined together to write the “Red Door Manifesto” which called for greater inclusivity and support for marginalized groups on campus. Additionally, the manifesto called on the administration to take more action against the commencement of ICE raids and the phasing-out of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy in the United States Department of Citizenship and Immigration Services under President Trump.

The University has experienced many changes over its 140 years: what was initially a farm is now a University with over one hundred majors. Just as the United States has faced challenges, St. Edward’s has as well; however, both have stayed “resilient” to failure in the face of hardships. St. Edward’s celebrated its 140th anniversary with a celebratory kick-off on Feb. 21 in the UFCU Alumni Gym.

A large majority of quotes and photos used in this article are lifted from the St. Edward’s archives.