Did you know we’ve digitized our student handbooks? For over 100 years, all incoming freshmen received a student handbook, known for many years as the “M Book,” to help orient them to campus. Variously published by the campus chapter of the Young Men”s Christian Association (Y.M.C.A.), the Maryland Christian Association, the Student Government Association (SGA), and ultimately the university itself, this publication included messages from campus administrators, the constitution and bylaws of the student government, rules of behavior, academic calendars, descriptions of selected student organizations, parking regulations, and songs and cheers, among many other things. You can page through each book, search for names and events, or download your own PDF copy through this site.
Click on these handbooks to see what student life was like in 1916, 1946, 1977, and 1989!
Check out this post to read some rules from the 1942 handbook, such as: “The Library is a place to study, not to make dates. Furthermore, noisy congregation on the front steps disturbs those inside. For this reason, you must not loiter more than two minutes on these steps.” (!!)
