![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/setonianinthe60s\/files\/2024\/04\/JOEY-SETON-300x152.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Who is Joe Seton? He started as a comic in the 1949 edition of The Setonian<\/em>. He \u201cwas born in the imagination of Vahn Shirvanian, a member of the class of \u201950.\u201d\u00a0 Vahn became a successful cartoonist, at numerous points winning the National Cartoonist Society\u2019s most outstanding honor for \u201cBest Gag Cartoonist of the Year.\u201d<\/p>\n But before that, he \u201cdrew a series of cartoons using Joe Seton as the main character and hero.\u201d As The Setonian<\/em> explains on Joe Seton\u2019s 10th<\/sup> anniversary, \u201cin these cartoons, fun was poked at everything and everyone,\u201d including \u201cregistration difficulties, stickers on windshields, being late for class, and general student capers.\u201d<\/p>\n After Shirvanian graduated, Joe Seton was last seen in the 1950 Galleon. However, in 1952, Joe Seton grew into a semi-regular column called \u201cJoe Seton Says.\u201d The Setonian<\/em> called it \u201cone of the most popular sections.\u201d They even went as far as to say that this column \u201cseems to be the first page that readers turn to.\u201d<\/p>\n The column was \u201c[all] at once informative, entertaining, and philosophical.\u201d More apt descriptors would be satirical and paradoxical. Again, The Setonian<\/em> notes, \u201csince the mood of the column changes with the weather, so does student opinion.\u201d Joe Seton will talk and mock just about anything.<\/p>\n For example, in one particular week, Joe Seton \u201ctook it upon himself to make a personal visit to the North Pole to interview Kris Kringle.\u201d Joe Seton had wanted to know what Seton Hall was getting for Christmas. These columns could be silly chicanery like that. Other times it would be a mocking of the cafeteria food that week.<\/p>\n Throughout the 50s, there were a lot of these relatively harmless jokes. Occasionally, there would be more biting sarcasm. However, such sarcasm was reserved mainly for the student body. One such example mocks the idealistic nature of college students. In the column, Joe wrote about a hypothetical conversation between a student and a parent, where the student does not really have a plan on what they \u201care going to do after graduation.\u201d This hypothetical student was to \u201cjoin SANE and rid the world of nuclear weapons.\u201d When pressed how he would support himself, the student replies, \u201cBy teaching volunteers for the Peace Corps.\u201d<\/p>\n In an interview with Joe Seton\u2019s creator Vahn Shirvanian in 1959, Shirvanian \u201cpointed out one difference between Joe Seton of today and yesteryear: he now wears a tie.\u201d In an ironic twist of foreshadowing, The Setonian<\/em> editors \u201cpromptly told Vahn that Seton Hall is now a University and the administration insisted upon [formal wear].\u201d\u00a0 It would be Joe Seton\u2019s 1964 column, which mocked the University\u2019s stringent dress code that got The Setonian<\/em> suspended.<\/p>\n In the early 60s, there was a shift. The pointless and harmless comedy of the columns was increasingly replaced by the sardonic columns. One proposed \u201ca cure for apathy.\u201d Joe Seton discusses how he \u201cstarted to think the other day (a Seton Hall first).\u201d In Joe\u2019s estimation, \u201cthe only cure [for apathy in student government elections] would be to have a Student King.\u201d Such a king \u201cwould be appointed by the Bishop\u2026 and, of course, be a puppet leader.\u201d Once again mocking the intellect of the student body, \u201cthe King would be guaranteed straight C grades (this is to raise him above the masses).\u201d The obvious joke is that if the student body does not recognize and take advantage of their privileges to vote, such a privilege would be taken away.<\/p>\n Slowly, the receiver of Joe Seton\u2019s scorn became the administration of the university. They had been targeted previously but for occasional, trivial matters like cafeteria food and problems with parking. In 1962, Joe Seton discussed how \u201cthe Administration seems to give the students an inch and then take two away.\u201d In this column, he boldly states, \u201cJust as Hitler took Poland, the minds and emotions of educated Setonians have been awayed\u201d by the administration.<\/p>\n Under the Editor-in-Chief from 1963-64, Rocco Di Pietro, The Setonian<\/em> was to \u201cstress features.\u201d They created a short-lived, similar column to Joe Seton Says in Marvin Moneywater, Campus Conservative. He played a similar character as Joe Seton but was staunchly more \u201cconservative.\u201d It was a bit redundant with Joe Seton\u2019s existence, but now there were two columns which lampooned the administration, oftentimes week after week.<\/p>\n As mentioned in the cover story, Joe Seton\u2019s column on the 20 February 1964 edition announced a satirical \u201cNotice to All Students.\u201d This column was the last straw. After weeks of mockery and what President Doughtery referred to as \u201can unwholesome spirit of cynicism,\u201d Joe Seton, among other reasons, got The Setonian<\/em> suspended.<\/p>\n It was the last time Joe Seton appeared as a regular column in The Setonian<\/em>. He made brief appearances throughout the decade. However, he no longer was a staple of the newspaper. His words did not have the same punch. He was no longer as witty. The later half of the 1960s showed Joe Seton\u2019s age. It\u2019s funny; it\u2019s almost as if he belonged to a bygone generation.<\/p>\n Joe Seton is best described as a contrarian. He made irreverent remarks that really amounted to nothing. He stirred the pot just to say he did. His column existed as a vehicle for The Setonian<\/em> to vent their frustration of the week and drop it. However, Joe Seton does hold an important place in The Setonian<\/em> history \u2013 specifically in the 60s.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Who is Joe Seton? He started as a comic in the 1949 edition of The Setonian. He \u201cwas born in the imagination of Vahn Shirvanian, a member of the class of \u201950.\u201d\u00a0 Vahn became a successful cartoonist, at numerous points winning the National Cartoonist Society\u2019s most outstanding honor for \u201cBest Gag Cartoonist of the Year.\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5147,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/setonianinthe60s\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/setonianinthe60s\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/setonianinthe60s\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/setonianinthe60s\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5147"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/setonianinthe60s\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/setonianinthe60s\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":74,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/setonianinthe60s\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43\/revisions\/74"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/setonianinthe60s\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/setonianinthe60s\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/setonianinthe60s\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}